Undefined
by I Dream of Scotty
Summary: Not set at any particular time in the show. Lilly has a fall at work and Scotty looks after her. They reflect on how they feel about each other,L/S. Please read and review. Hope you like it :-
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case. But I do love it to pieces!**

**Undefined**

It was late on Friday evening and Lilly Rush was putting another cold case to rest. This particular case had been pretty intense and she had had very little sleep over the past seven days and it was finally catching up with her. She was looking forward to finally getting some rest at the weekend now that this one had finally been solved. Holding the box under one arm she climbed the ladder to place it on the shelf. She stopped midway, feeling slightly dizzy. _I really need to get some sleep._ She thought to herself. Once her head had stopped spinning she continued to climb. She placed the box on the shelf and began to climb back down. Again she felt the room begin to spin. She stopped, holding onto the ladder in an attempt to steady herself. She slowly climbed down the last 2 rungs but the dizziness got the better of her and she missed the last rung and fell onto the floor.

At that moment her partner Scotty Valens was headed her way. "Hey Lil, we're all gonna head down to Jones' you wanna come…." He froze when he saw her on the floor, clutching at her ankle. "Lil! Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, rushing over to her, concern on his face.

"I don't know, one minute I was climbing down the ladder, the next I'm on the floor." She winced in pain, "think I sprained it." She told him, indicating her ankle.

"Looks swollen," Scotty observed, "we'd better get that looked at, make sure it ain't broken. Can you stand?"

"I think so," she told him. He supported her with his arms as she attempted to stand up.

"Here lean on me,"

Lilly tried but she couldn't muster the strength to stand up and collapsed back onto the floor, letting out a little cry of pain. "I don't feel so good." She told him, "weak."

Scotty reached out to her and placed a hand on her forehead. She was burning up. He knew there was only one thing to do and before she could say anything to protest, he scooped her up gently in his arms.

"Scotty what are you doing?"

"We need to get you to a doctor, don't argue Lil."

Lilly gave up and let Scotty carry her out.

Once they reached the bullpen, Scotty set her down on her desk chair. He put his hand on her forehead again. "You're slightly warm Lil; think you may have a fever."

"I'm fine, Scotty," she began. "Just need to get some sleep."

"No Lil, you ain't. Let me take you to the hospital."

"You're not carrying me out of the building!" She told him in no uncertain terms and Scotty couldn't help the little smile that crept up on his face. "If you can get me some ice it will help with the swelling. Think I might be able to walk a little then."

Scotty went into the break room and came back with a bunch of ice wrapped up in a tea towel. He gingerly applied it to Lilly's ankle, a feeling that she found strangely comforting. She felt annoyed at herself for letting this happen and felt even more annoyed that Scotty had found her like that.

A couple of minutes later Lilly was feeling a little better. "Think I can try to stand again," she told him.

Scotty helped her up, letting her put as much weight on him as she needed. She gingerly got to her feet.

"Careful," he told her, protectively.

She took a few steps forward and then collapsed against Scotty. "Damn!" she cursed and tried again.

"Maybe this ain't gonna work?" Scotty said.

"I can do this!" Lilly stubbornly insisted.

"Lil, you're in pain and you feel weak…"

"You're not carrying me out of the building Scotty. I don't want to make a fuss, let's just go." With that she took another step forward, supported by Scotty. They made it to the elevator and took it to the ground floor.

"Wait here til I bring my car around," Scotty told her as he guided her to a nearby chair. "I won't be long."

Lilly nodded and watched him as he hurried off. _He can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but he's a good guy. _She thought and smiled to herself, grateful.

It was Saturday morning and Lilly had just woken up on her couch. They had given her paracetamol for her fever and crutches and told her to keep off that foot so she decided it would be best to just sleep on the couch that night. After about five minutes there was a knock at the door. Lilly slowly got up off the couch and walked towards the door. "Scotty!" she said, surprised to see her partner there so early in the day.

"Hey Lil," Scotty began, "thought I'd drop by and see how you're doin'."

Lilly let him come inside and they both sat down.

"I brought some food, didn't know if you were feeling up to cooking today. How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said.

Scotty moved his hand to her forehead, "you still feel a little warm. You rest here, I'll go fix you some breakfast." He told her and before she could argue he got up and made his way to the kitchen.

Lilly, didn't realise that she had fallen asleep again until the smell of bacon and eggs roused brought 2 plates over and put them on her coffee table. She smiled and her stomach growled. She hadn't realised how hungry she was either. "mmm smells good! I'm starving."

Scotty smiled broadly and helped her to sit up. If she was hungry, that was a good sign.

Lilly was about to brush him off but something in his smile just made her want him to help her. She felt something stir in her, an unfamiliar feeling, she couldn't place it but she knew she liked it.

As they ate, they talked about various things, with Scotty making a few jokes along the way. Lilly always thought Scotty had a good sense of humour, and couldn't help but laugh at his jokes.

Scotty felt a sense of warmth spread through him at the sound of Lilly's laughter. He didn't know what it was about her laughing that made him feel…he didn't know how to describe it but it made him happy.

Once they had finished their breakfast Scotty gathered up the plates and went into the kitchen. Lilly leant against the door frame and watched as he did the washing up. "You know you don't have to do this," she told him.

"I want to help," he turned around. "And you should be resting,"

"I am resting." She explained. "You haven't let me lift a finger since you got here."

Scotty smiled as he dried his hands.

"Thought we could hang out for a while?"

Lilly smiled, knowing he was worried about her. She knew she should just tell him she was okay but today she found that she didn't want to be alone and she was really enjoying his company. "Sure,"

Scotty helped Lilly over to the couch and they sat facing each other. There was a few seconds silence that neither of them felt awkward about before Lilly spoke. "So how's work? We get a new case?"

Scotty smiled. "You always think about the job?" he asked, but kind of knew the answer already.

Lilly blushed, she didn't know why, just something in his eyes, she felt as if he saw right through her and that made her feel vulnerable. She didn't know how he did that to her.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Everyone misses you," he smiled. "it really aint the same without you," He meant that. He didn't know when it had happened but he really enjoyed having her around at work, but not just at work, he was starting to realise.

He looked at her, taking her in with his eyes. "So, tell me, what do you do for fun Lilly Rush?"

Lilly was slightly taken aback by the tone of his voice – was he flirting with her? No, it couldn't be. This was Scotty, her partner, her best friend. They didn't have that kind of relationship, did they? If she was honest with herself she didn't really know what kind of relationship they had. They had gotten closer over the past few months. She wanted to give him a witty comeback but all that came out of her mouth was "what?"

Scotty smiled, "what do you do for fun? You know to relax?"

Lilly paused, trying to think. "I read, go out sometimes, watch a bit of TV, you know, usual thing."

Scotty stared at her, smiling a llittle.

"What?" Lilly asked.

"Nothing," Scotty replied, still grinning. "It's just that I guess I've always pictured you sitting here with a case file,"

Lilly couldn't blame him for thinking that, she loved her job and was dedicated to giving the victims the justice they deserve and their families some kind of peace.

"Tell you what, how about when you're feeling better, you and I go out someplace?"

Lilly looked surprised, was he asking her out?

Scotty quickly realised how he had sounded and added, "I ain't hittin' on ya or nothin' I just thought we could hang out?"

Lilly smiled as she could see that he was starting to blush, he looked kinda cute when he blushed.

"Sure Scotty, you're on."

They continued to talk for another 20 or so minutes and then Lilly started to feel dizzy again. "Lil?" Scotty asked concerned, "you okay?"

"Just feel a little faint is all," she told him.

Scotty took her in his arms and gently rested her against his chest. She felt too weak to resist and secretly enjoyed all the attention and care he was giving her. He held her like that against him, and took her hands in his. They stayed like that for the rest of the morning, Lilly slowly drifted off to sleep again. Scotty just sat there, peacefully reflecting on their relationship with one another. It was definitely not one of just partners; they were good friends but not quiet lovers. It was something undefined. A closeness and understanding they shared, an unspoken trust. He was usually not comfortable with things he couldn't categorise but this felt different, he felt at ease and somehow and he knew Lilly felt the same. He looked at Lilly fast asleep in his arms, a small smile on her face as if she felt safe there. He sighed quietly, contentedly and swore to himself that he would keep her safe at all costs.


	2. Chapter 2

This story was originally going to be a oneshot but many of you have requested that I add to it, so here is chapter 2. Thanks for all the reviews, please keep them coming :- )

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case. **

About a month had gone by and Lilly's ankle was feeling a lot better. She was back at work but confined to desk duty. She hated being stuck behind a desk but knew it wouldn't be too long before she was back out there with the rest of the squad. She was staring intently at some forms when she heard a familiar voice behind her call her name.

"Lil,"

She almost jumped out of her chair at the sound of Scotty's voice.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya," he said.

"It's okay, just caught up in this paperwork," she told him, but she was lying. She had actually spent the whole morning thinking about him. About how he had looked after her these past few weeks, driving her to work, bringing her coffee and generally keeping her spirits high because he knew how much she hated being stuck behind a desk. She sometimes didn't know why he cared so much, she wasn't used to people looking after her like that and wasn't really sure what to make of it. She knew she liked it though, maybe a little too much. _He's your partner Lilly, _she told herself, _don't go getting too attached._

"Well I'm here to rescue you from that!" he told her brightly.

Lilly was confused.

"It's lunchtime, thought we could go get a bite to eat?"

"I don't know Scotty; I've got a lot to get through today…"

"Come on Lil, I know you haven't had any breakfast, you need to eat and I know a great place."

She tried to think of an excuse not to go but her mind couldn't come up with one.

"I ain't taking no for an answer," he told her, smiling.

Damn, she could not resist that smile of his. _Since when did that happen? _She wondered. "Okay but we can't stay too long," she finally relented.

Scotty helped her out of her chair. She was walking around a bit more now but Scotty still hovered over her like she would fall over any second. Lilly acted like she was annoyed with him but deep down she found it slightly amusing.

Once they were in Scotty's car, he began to drive to their lunch destination.

"So where are we going?" Lilly asked.

"It's a surprise," he said and couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"What are you up to?" she asked, she could read him like a book.

"Nothin'"

"I know that look Scotty,"

"You'll see,"

They pulled up about 5 minutes later and Scotty helped her out of the car. "The park?" She said surprised.

"Yeah," he confirmed, "wait here, it need to get something out of the trunk."

Lilly stood there wondering what was going on, only to see Scotty come back with a picnic basket in his hand. "It's a nice day, thought it'd be nice if we ate out here. Come on, let's go." He led her to a nice little spot on the grass and laid a blanket down for them to both sit on. Scotty unpacked the picnic basket as Lilly watched. She couldn't believe he had gone to all that trouble. "Hope you're hungry."

"Yeah, actually." She admitted, "this looks good!"

Scotty smiled and handed her a plate, some chicken pasta salad and gazpacho soup. Lilly took a sip of the soup, "oh my God, this is amazing!" she said. Lilly paused and smiled, "A cop and a chef!" she paused, "And good at both."

"My ma taught me to cook when I was a kid, figured it would come in handy one day," He explained.

"You gotta stop spoiling me, I may get used to it." She teased and immediately regretted saying it. _Get a hold of yourself Lilly! _

He smiled and she could see something flash in his eyes, just for a second, "I got the feeling you've been avoiding me today,"

"What? No, I've just been really busy." She lied again. She was indeed busy but she was also trying to keep her distance. Since the time she woke up that morning she had had him on her mind. She even had the feeling of butterflies in her stomach in anticipation of seeing him. They were partners and she shouldn't be having these feelings, whatever they were, for him.

"Really? Thought I might have said or done something to…"

"No, no, don't be silly Scotty. You've done nothing wrong."

He paused, briefly studying her face and he could tell there was something she wasn't telling him. "Okay," he told her, "let me know if you need a hand?"

"Thanks,"

There was silence for a few minutes while they ate before Scotty spoke again. "So I was thinkin', maybe we could do something this weekend?"

"Do something?"

"Yeah, we did say we were going to go someplace when you were feeling better..remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right." Lilly said and hesitated before answering, "I don't know if I can make it this weekend, I have to do something for a friend.."

"Lil, is something wrong?"

Lilly sighed, "Scotty," she began. "Lately I've been doing some thinking….about us."

He looked at her, intensity in his deep chocolate brown eyes, "yeah?"

"Yeah, you and I have been spending a lot of time with each other…. and I just think we need a little….space. You know what I mean?"

Scotty was confused, "no, I don't. I thought you liked hanging out.."

"I do, but maybe a little too much…"

"What are you saying Lil?" Scotty asked, half guessing the answer.

Lilly started to draw circles on the blanket, "Scotty I.…."

"Hey guys, mind if I join you?" Nick Vera asked standing over them holding a cheesteak. He sat down next to them before either of them could answer and started mumbling something about the diner being full but neither of them were paying attention to him, they just held each other's gaze. Nick stopped rambling as he noticed, "am I interrupting something here?"

Scotty quickly pulled his gaze away from Lilly's. "No man,"

Lilly looked at the cheeseteak, "you really gonna eat all that?" she asked trying to forget about what had been previously on her mind.

Scotty was doing the opposite though; he played the last words of their conversation over in his mind. Did she have feelings for him? He knew they were getting close. He had to find out; he had to get her alone someplace. He began to work on a plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Cold Case .

He and Lilly didn't really have much of a chance to talk much after lunch. They had gotten a new lead on their case and Scotty and Will went to talk to him. Lilly continued to get on with her paperwork, doing her best not to get distracted by idle thoughts of her partner. She was just about getting the hang of it when Nick moved his chair up to her desk. "So," he began, "what did I interrupt at lunch today?"

"Nothing," she told him and went back to her paperwork.

"You sure? Cos from where I was sitting, sure looked like something"

"Well it wasn't!" she thought she sounded overly harsh.

"Oookayyy." He wasn't buying it. He paused for a while before saying, "you two have been spending a lot of time together lately.."

"We're partners," Lilly replied flippantly.

"And he's waiting on you hand and foot."

"What are you saying Nick?" she was getting annoyed and found herself blushing slightly.

"Just saying, the two of you, don't seem just like partners anymore. And the way you two were looking at each other today…"

"Nick there's nothing going on between me and Scotty so please can you just drop this?"

Nick smiled; he knew he was on to something. "Scotty's a good guy, you could do worse,"

"Nick!"

"Okay, okay, I'm just saying'"

Just then, Scotty and Will returned, Lilly breathed a sigh of relief and made her way quietly to the breakroom to get some coffee while Nick asked the guys about the lead.

She thought about what Nick had said. He implied that Scotty had feelings for her, she wondered if that were true or just him teasing her. They had been getting closer. He was right about one thing though, Scotty was a good guy, and would it really be so bad if they got together? She thought about this for a moment, about his smile, how he made her laugh and what it would be like to kiss him. She got so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear him walking up behind her.

"Hey," he said and she almost yelped in surprise.

"Scotty," she began, "you gotta stop doing that!"

Scotty smiled mischievously, "sorry."

"Did you get anywhere with Tompkinson?" she asked, referring to the lead they had spoken to.

"Nah, I don't think he knows anything. Still think we should talk to the brother again." He paused and then lowered his voice and moved closer to her, so there was only about 7 inches between them. Lilly felt her cheeks flush. "Speaking of talking, I think we need to finish our conversation from earlier."

"Yeah, look Scotty, all I was trying to say was… we're partners….and I feel that lately we've been getting dangerously close to crossing a line.."

"Lil, do you have feelings for me?" he cut her off.

"What? No, I…..I don't know Scotty…, I don't think we should go there.."

"No Lil, we need to talk about this!"

"There's nothing to talk about. It's nothing, okay, forget it." She was about to turn and walk away when he caught her hand and squeezed it slightly. She froze, surprised by his touch. He interlocked his fingers with hers and began massaging the back of her hand with his thumb.

"You can't tell me you don't feel something when I do this," he said quietly and there was an air of seduction in his voice. Lilly still had her back to him as she was now blushing uncontrollably and she didn't want him to see. He moved closer to her and moved his other arm so it rested on her waist "or this."

Just then, Will Jeffries walked in to get some coffee. The two of them fell silent instantly and Scotty quickly let go of her.

"How's the ankle Lilly?" he asked her as he poured himself a cup.

"Better," she replied trying to regain her composure.

Scotty leant over and whispered "Jones' after work." Lilly nodded and then Scotty left.

It was 8pm when the two of them left the precinct and headed for Jones' Tavern. Once there they sat in a quiet table away from everyone else. "So," Scotty began, "you never did answer my question earlier. What's going on with ..us? Cos I know you feel it too. Something has changed between us." He lent closer to her, "I need to know how you feel."

After that afternoon, Lilly felt there was no use in trying to deny it to herself any longer, "I know, I've been thinking about it for a while now. You're right, there is something here, I don't know what this is, but lately I've been feeling..things.. for you."

Scotty reached over and held Lilly's hands, which were resting on the table. He looked into her blue eyes and smiled, "I've been feeling the same thing."

Lilly smiled "yeah?"

"Yeah." He replied, "and I've been thinkin'" he squeezed her hand slightly, "maybe we should see where this goes?"

Lilly was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Scotty, I don't think that's such a good idea. Like I sais before, we work together… things could get complicated if we...didn't work out."

Scotty couldn't help letting out a small chuckle at that. _That's Lilly all over._ He thought. "And what if things _did_ work out?"

"Scotty…"

"Lil, don't do that, don't run away. Let's give this a chance?"

"What if things did wrong? I don't want to lose your friendship, it means too much to me. I'm sorry Scotty, I really don't think this is a good idea." She let go of his hand and stood up to leave.

"So that's it? You're just gonna walk away?"

"Sorry," she whispered again, tears starting to form in her eyes and she walked out of the Tavern. Scotty watched her walk out slowly. Her ankle still wasn't fully healed yet but he let her walk out the door before chasing after her.

"Lil," he called, but she ignored him. Once he got outside he called again, "Lil," he caught up to her and grabbed her arm, careful not to hurt her. "Could you just hear me out please?" He turned her around to face him.

"Can we just drop this, _please_?" she whispered that last word.

"No, I think we need to give this a chance! I don't know what this thing between us is but I want to find out. Lil, you ain't gonna lose me." He moved closer and gently wiped the tear that was falling down her cheek. "This job, we've been through so much, ain't no way you gonna lose me!"Lilly looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity there and it warmed her. She wanted him to hold her. She smiled through the odd tear that trickled down her cheek. "Come away with me this weekend. I know this lakefront cottage in the county where we can stay and try and sort things out. It'll be nice and quiet, just you and me."

"I don't know, isn't that a bit soon?"

"Lil, we've been spending so much time with each other these past few weeks, we're practically living together!" He joked. "Look, there's no rush, no pressure. I just think we need some time alone to work things out, no distractions. What do you say?"

Lilly thought for a moment and agreed. "Okay,"

**Could a beautiful romantic setting be just what the doctor ordered for these two? Or will Lil stand by her guns and decide to just stay friends? Thanks for all the reviews so far, they are very much appreciated. Please keep them coming! :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case. But I guess you know that by now! :-)**

When Friday evening came round Lilly went to home pack for the weekend away with Scotty. She made sure everything was organised so that the following morning things would go smoothly and she wouldn't need to rush. She arranged for a neighbour to look after her cats while she was away. Everything was going fine – until that night. Lilly lay awake in bed staring up at the ceiling thinking about what the weekend would be like and fear and panic started to flood her mind as she realised she would have to finally face up to her feelings for her partner. She began to imagine every worst case scenario and this kept her awake until 2am. She had had set her alarm to go off at 5am the next morning but when it did, in her sleepy state she switched it off and went back to sleep. When she finally did wake up it was 7.45. "Crap!" she cursed as she realised what had happened and jumped out of bed and headed for the shower. Scotty would be there in fifteen minutes! She hurried to get ready and she was in the middle of doing her hair when she heard a knock at the door. "Damn!" she looked at the clock, Scotty was five minutes early.

Scotty stood outside Lilly's house filled with anticipation for this weekend. He would finally get to spend a good amount of quality time with her without work or life getting in the way. He too had been up all night thinking about it, but unlike Lilly, he imagined everything going well. He still wasn't sure about how he felt about her but he knew he enjoyed being around her. He was looking forward to seeing if this would blossom into a relationship. He knew Lilly had doubts and fears but he had the whole weekend to make her see that they had something together and it would be worth the risk. His heart sped up at the sound of her approaching footsteps.

"Hi Scotty," she greeted; her hair was loose around her shoulders.

"Hey,"

She let him into the house. "Sorry I'm running a little late, give me ten minutes?"

"Sure," he said as he sat on the sofa while Lilly went to her room to finish doing her hair.

A little while later Lilly came back down the stairs. Scotty helped her with her bags and they got into the car and were off.

When they finally pulled up at the cabin, Scotty got out and opened the door for Lilly to get out too. "come on let's go get settled in." He said enthusiastically.

Scotty grabbed their bags from the car and he and Lilly made their way into the cabin. He opened the door and left the bags on the floor. "Why don't you go sit on the couch and rest a bit while I put the bags in our rooms?"

"Scotty I've been sitting the whole drive here. I'm not completely helpless you know?" she smiled at him, "tell you what, why don't you put those away and I'll get us something to drink?"

Scotty nodded and walked off with the bags in hand. Lilly went over to the fridge in the kitchen and got 2 cans of coke. She went out into the living room and sat down on the sofa. She took a sip of her coke and leant back into the cushions. Just then Scotty came back, Lilly handed him his drink and they both sat down. Lilly glanced out of the window at the beautiful morning sunshine and smiled. "It's a beautiful day isn't it?" He asked. Lilly nodded. "I was thinking maybe we could go have lunch in town? There's a nice little bistro around here. What do you think?"

"Sounds good," she said. Scotty smiled and Lilly felt the butterflies stir in her stomach once again.

"How's the ankle feeling?"

"It's fine, Scotty, really." She reassured.

He moved to sit next to her. "I'm glad you decided to come here with me Lil." He told her as he held her hand in his. She smiled and squeezed his hand back.

"I'm sorry about running out on you that night," she said softly. "I guess I just panicked."

He looked at her, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. "I know. Like I said, there's no rush."

They were silent for a few seconds, each lost in their own thoughts and then Scotty said, "at least you didn't go totally Ice Queen on me."

"Hey!" Lilly said in mock offence and punched him playfully in the arm.

"Ow!" he rubbed his arm, Lilly giggled and didn't see him reach for a cushion and mischievously hit her shoulder with it, causing her to spill a bit of her drink on her shirt. "Lil, I'm sorry I…"

"Oh you asked for it now Valens!" She too reached for a cushion and hit him across the head. Scotty laughed as he returned fire. Lilly was in a fit of giggles by then thumped him repeatedly with the cushion. They stayed like that, play fighting for a while. Scotty had never seen this side of her before but he really liked it. He felt a warm feeling inside and knew that this weekend promised to be interesting.

By the time they reached the bistro it was 5pm. Their little fight with the cushions had resulted in them spilling coke over their clothes so they both had to get changed. Then Scotty decided to take what he thought was a short cut which ended up in them getting lost. Fortunately by the time they got there the bistro was relatively empty meaning they got very swift service. They stayed and talked for an hour and then Scotty drove them to the lake. He got out of the car and opened the door for Lilly, taking her hand and helping her to get out. He was being very chivalrous all day which did not go unnoticed to Lilly. They sat down in a beautiful quiet spot and listened to the water and took in the beautiful surroundings. Lilly sighed contentedly and rested her head on his shoulder. Scotty grinned and put his arm around her. "This is perfect, "she said, finally breaking the silence, "no distractions, no stress…just nature."

"Company ain't that bad either," he added, she smiled broadly and snuggled closer to him.

"Not too bad yourself Valens. Lousy navigator though,"

"Hey, I wasn't the one holding the map!" he replied.

"We wouldn't have got lost if you brought your satnav," she retaliated.

"Wouldn't have been a problem if you knew your lefts from your rights." He added, grinning cheekily.

She punched his arm. "That was a left," she punched him again, "and that was a right!"

"Oh we gonna do this again Rush?"

"Why, you afraid you'll lose again?"

"Hey, I did not lose! Didn't want to ruin my favourite shirt is all. "He grinned. There was once again a comfortable silence between them once more. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. "You know if you told me two months ago I'd be watching the sunset by a lake with you I wouldn't have believed it." She looked up at him, meeting the affection and intensity in his eyes and couldn't help but feel warmth radiate inside her.

"Scotty," her voice came out as a whisper, "thanks."

"For what?"

"For convincing me to come here this weekend."

He smiled, "Lil, I meant what I said the other day. I ain't gonna leave you."

Lilly face took on a more serious expression."Don't," she told him.

"Don't what?"

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

Scotty felt a mix of frustration and anger swell up in his chest which he fought hard to keep down, not wanting to spoil the moment." "I know," he began, "that you've had a lot of guys hurt you. But Lil," he squeezed her hand, "I would die before I ever did that. I know you probably won't believe me, but let me prove it to you. If you just give me a chance, if you just put away your fears long enough to trust me on this, I'll show you I ain't like those other guys." He gently let go of her hand and softly caressed her face. She looked at him, wordless, full of emotion, her blue eyes filling with tears. Scotty pulled her close to him, "I'll prove it." He whispered.

There were so many things running through her mind, so many unspoken emotions. Fear, panic, anger but this time, somehow the urge to run away was absent. Being in his arms and just hearing him reassure her like that, touched her deep inside.

Just then it began to rain. Lilly and Scotty both got up and hurried over to the car. By the time they got to the cabin it had gotten dark. "I am soaked!" Lilly said, laughing.

"Come on, let's go inside and get changed." He searched for the key in his pocket, all the while they were getting more and more drenched.

"Scotty! Come on, where's the key?"

"Got it!" he said, then looked at her and laughed.

"What?"

"Do you know how cute you look right now?"

"Scotty!"

"Okay, okay, I'm opening the door!" He grinned opened and reached inside for the light switch. "Hmmm" he said.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Think the power's out, there's no light." He walked inside and turned to face her, Lilly followed.

"That's just great, what are we gonna do noooow!" Lilly didn't see the step at the front door and tripped and fell on top of Scotty. They both crashed to the floor.

"Lil, you okay?" He asked, stunned

"Didn't see that damn step!" she cursed.

"You didn't hurt your ankle again did you?"

She sighed in frustration, "No," she paused, realising she was still lying on top of him. "Luckily I had someone to break my fall."

Scotty grinned, "told you I'd be there for you."

"Seems you were right," she said softly. Their eyes locked and time seemed to slow down.

"You know Rush, you keep falling over steps you're gonna get yourself really hurt one day." He felt his breathing quicken as his heart began to race.

Lilly moved her face closer to his, her heart racing too, "Won't be so bad if you're here to catch me."

Scotty moved his face closer to hers, their lips almost touching " I got ya back Rush," he breathed.

A gust of wind blew in through the open door and hit them, causing an icy chill on their wet clothes. Scotty laughed and Lilly rolled off him. "I'd better get that door."

**Oooh they almost kissed! Please read and review. I love hearing from you guys. :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I said it before and I'll say it again - I don't own Cold Case. **

A/N: I just wanted to say a very big thank you to everyone who wrote such great reviews for the last chapter. It really means a lot. :-)

Chapter 5

Scotty closed the cabin door and the two of them were surrounded by darkness, the only illumination was the moonlight streaming through the window. Scotty sighed, "I left my cell phone at home, figured we could use some privacy, would have come in handy for light."

At that, Lilly looked around in her purse and sheepishly handed her cell phone to Scotty who took it and smiled knowingly. She shrugged, "there may be an important break in the case?" she said blushing. If this was anyone else he would probably have been offended, but this was Lilly Rush and he knew how much she cared about the job.

With Lilly's cell phone lighting his path, Scotty made his way to the fireplace and lit it. "Good thing this isn't electric." He said as the fire came to life, lighting up the surroundings with its cosy warm glow. He warmed his hands and then turned to look at Lilly. "We'd better get out of these wet clothes." He suggested. Lilly nodded and headed to her room to change. Scotty stayed a little longer, warming himself and contemplating on what had almost happened. He smiled to himself. _Maybe there's hope for us yet?_ He thought and then he too went to change.

Lilly sat on her bed thinking about how they almost kissed. She hadn't meant for that to happen and part of her was glad that they were interrupted. She had to admit though that being alone with him; her barriers were starting to weaken. She was attracted to him and she did feel a deep friendship for him but she still wasn't sure if she was ready for a relationship. She decided she would keep her guard up until she was sure she was ready. She didn't want to lead him on and hurt him; she cared too much for him to do that.

By the time she had come out of her room Scotty was already in the living room pouring a bottle of red wine into 2 glasses. He was wearing a black shirt that made him look incredibly sexy, Lilly mused. _Damn! Pull yourself together Rush!_ She thought but was already beginning to feel her defences weaken. Scotty smiled at her as she walked into the living room and handed her a glass. She reached out and accepted it, smiling back at him, feeling a blush slowly creep up her cheeks. She quickly walked over to the window before Scotty noticed just how much he was affecting her. It was still raining heavily outside and she could see the wind causing the trees to sway. She felt herself shiver involuntarily, but no sooner had she shivered than she felt a warm presence behind her.

"Cold?" Scotty softly asked her, standing so close she could smell his cologne and feel his breath on her neck.

She shivered again, but this time the temperature had nothing to do with it. "A little," she said, feeling the goose bumps on her arms.

"Why don't you come sit by the fire?" He held her hand and led her to the fireplace. He sat on the floor and she sat opposite him, feeling comfort from the flames. She took a sip of her wine and felt herself relax a little. "You look amazing!" He said, noticing the blue dress she was wearing and how it accentuated the curves of her body.

"Thank you." Another blush crept up her cheeks. As Scotty took another sip of his wine Lilly found herself stealing looks at her partner, unable to stop herself. Scotty noticed her looking and grinned, "You know what? I feel like dancing, how about you?"

Lilly looked at him confused, don't we need music for that?"

He smiled, "I got music. Be right back." With that, he got up and went to his room. He came back a minute later with his iPod in hand and some battery operated speakers. He searched until he found the playlist he wanted and then hit play. Music suddenly flooded the room. He smiled warmly and held his hand out to Lilly, "shall we?" Lilly hesitated, "come on Lil, dance with me." Lilly smiled, relenting and took his hand as he led her to the centre of the room. _One dance can't do any harm?_ She thought.

As they danced together, Lilly discovered that Scotty was not a bad dancer at all and moving with him to the rhythm of the music made her feel happy and somehow safe, more safe than she'd felt in a long time. One dance turned into three. He gave her a sexy grin, which made her heart feel like it was doing summersaults. Just then, the music tempo changed to a slow romantic ballad. Scotty moved closer to her and his eyes met hers. He held her close as they began to sway softly to the song.

_The very thought of you, and I forget to do... the little ordinary things that everyone ought to do..._

Though Lilly fought to keep her guard up, her barriers were being broken down with each note of the song and the look of longing in Scotty's eyes made her melt into his arms as she rested her head on his shoulders."Mmmm, I like this song." She murmured. Scotty breathed in the scent of her hair and relished the warm feeling of her body moving slowly in unison with his. He pulled her closer into him as the song continued to swirl around the room like a soft ethereal breeze and he soon began to feel like he was transported into another world, one where nothing else existed but he, Lilly and the music surrounding them.

_The mere idea of you. The longing here for you. You'll never know how slow, the moments go till I'm near to you..._

Lilly could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he embraced her. Comforted by his presence and overcome by a wave of affection she held him tighter, enjoying the feel of his warm masculine body against hers. They swayed together, moving gracefully as one entity. Soon the song began to draw to a close.

_I see your face in every flower, your eyes in stars above._

Lilly looked up, catching Scotty's gaze once more and as their eyes locked both their pulses quickened.

_ It's just the thought of you..._

Scotty moved his head closer to hers, feeling her breath on his lips.

_The very thought of you..._

Lilly began to tremble as her lips softly met his for the first time.

_My love..._

And as the song ended the two of them, enveloped in moonlight, fell into a deep kiss, laced with emotion and longing that words alone could not express. It was a perfect moment, one that neither of them wanted to end.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just to be on the safe side I'm going to give this chapter a T rating.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case and I doubt I ever will.**

The bright sunlight streaming through the window roused Lilly from her sleep. She felt surprisingly good having slept soundly all night; something that was unusual for her. She smiled as she felt a warm presence behind her and a strong arm draped around her stomach. She opened her eyes and realised that she was lying down on the sofa in the living room of the cabin where she and Scotty had fallen asleep last night. They had talked for hours and eventually curled up on the couch to keep warm. She carefully turned her head backwards to look at the sleeping form of her partner behind her and was warmed by the peaceful sight that greeted her. She smiled as feelings of affection flooded her and gently put her hand on top of his. Then all of a sudden, a feeling of panic came over her as she realised what she was doing and carefully slid out of his grasp, quietly making her way to the kitchen without waking him.

She stood at the sink, opened the tap and splashed cold water on her face hoping the chill would bring her back to her senses. She played the events of the previous night over in her mind - the wine, the dancing, and the kiss. _Oh God!_ She thought to herself. Though they had spent a good few hours talking neither of them had mentioned the kiss since it happened. At the time, it had felt so right but now in the light of day, Lilly realised that it had been a mistake. She had never wanted to lead him on and now she feared that he had taken it to mean that she wanted something more.

She opened the tap again and filled a glass with water, taking a sip, she realised that she didn't really know what she wanted with Scotty. What she hoped this weekend would do for her was help her sort out her mixed up feelings for him. Part of her wanted nothing more than to be with him but there was some part of her where the idea of a relationship with him just didn't sit right. She knew that if they really crossed that line then things would inevitably become complicated, messy. But was it already too late? She didn't want to hurt him. _Oh God! _She thought again, _what if I've messed things up between us?_

"Morning," came a soft voice from behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts and making her jump.

"Scotty!"

He grinned, resting his chin on her head and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you jump." Lilly wriggled out of his arms and walked over to the cupboard to grab a bowl. Scotty turned to watch her as she poured a box of cereal into it. "Hungry?"

"Yeah," she replied, eyes fixed on the bowl, not daring to look him in the eye.

Scotty got himself a bowl and put it on the counter next to hers. "Me too." He said as he reached around her and playfully grabbed the box out of her hand.

"Scotty I need that!"

He grinned as he poured some of the cereal into his bowl and when he was done he poured some more into hers, "say when." He told her.

"That's enough," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Scotty stopped pouring, smiled at her grumpy expression and lightly kissed the top of her head. "Not a morning person, huh Rush?" He went over to the fridge to get some milk. Lilly drummed her fingers on the counter as she watched him walk over to the other side of the kitchen.

"You know, the milk's probably off by now?"

Scotty stopped and turned around. "Yeah, power cut. Forgot about that!"

"We'll just have to eat it dry I guess." She said as she put spoons into their bowls.

Scotty walked over and looked down into his bowl and sulked, "I guess so."

Lilly giggled at his expression. He looked so cute. She began to eat and watched as he picked at his food. "Thought you said you were hungry?"

He sighed and put his spoon down, "it just ain't the same without milk," he told her. Lilly took his spoon in her hand and scooped up some of the cereal. "Awww come on, it's not so bad. Open up." She fed him a mouthful of cereal. He smiled which like a domino effect, made her smile too. She rubbed his arm gently, "see." She realised then that she felt the same way about her and Scotty. Letting her guard down with him really wasn't as bad as she'd feared.

Later that day Scotty headed into town for some groceries. Lilly's ankle was acting up a little and so she stayed behind. It wasn't until 5pm that Scotty came back. Lilly was sitting on the sofa when he returned. She smiled, "Hey!" she greeted. "Power's back on."

"Hey, that's great! Hope you're hungry 'cos I'm gonna make us dinner."

"What's on the menu?"

"You'll see!" he said as he made his way to the kitchen. Lilly followed him, curious.

"What do you think you're doin'?" he asked as he set the grocery bags down. "No peekin' or you'll spoil the surprise!" He put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around and led her back out to the living room. Lilly rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay! I won't look!" she giggled and Scotty went off to make lunch.

About an hour later, Scotty finally emerged from the kitchen with two plates laden with delicious smelling lamb kebabs served with rice and salad. He handed a plate to Lilly and sat now next to her. "Oh my God, Scotty! This looks amazing! You're really spoiling me!"

He grinned, "you're worth it Rush."

After they finished dinner, Scotty washed the plates and then returned to the living room to sit near Lilly. "How's the ankle?" he asked.

"It's okay, acts up now and then but it's fine."

Scotty tenderly lifted her feet up to his lap. "Maybe you need to keep it elevated?" he grinned.

Lilly giggled. "you know, we haven't talked about..."

"The kiss?" he finished her thought.

"Yeah,"

"He looked at her, "you think it was a mistake?"

"No," she paused, "yes...I don't know Scotty. It seemed like a good idea at the time..."

"And now, not so much?"

"I don't know..."

Scotty gently put her feet back down and moved closer to her, "no?" he leaned in and his lips touched hers, only for two seconds. "How about now?" he asked.

Lilly felt her pulse quicken, "Scotty," she whispered.

Scotty cupped her face in his hands, threading his fingers through her soft blonde hair, "or now?" he breathed as he leant in again and kissed her tenderly, a kiss filled with emotion. Lilly gave in and began kissing him back, slowly at first but it soon evolved into something deeper, hungrier. She sighed softly as she felt his tongue brush against her lips, which she parted to allow him entry into her mouth. Scotty growled and felt himself push her slowly back into the sofa.

Pinned by her partner, Lilly squeezed him tighter feeling his hands wander over the sides of her body. "Oh Scotty!"

"Lil," he murmured against her lips as his hands brushed the edges of her breasts. She felt him grow hard against her.

"Scotty...Scotty stop... please stop.."

Scotty did as Lilly asked; his breathing rapid, he pulled himself off her.

"Not now, we can't do this, not yet."

He nodded in understanding, "okay, it's okay," he said helping her up. "Like I said, no rush."

She got to her feet, smiled gratefully at him and walked towards her room but was stopped midway as he called out to her, "hey Lil," she turned around and he walked up to her "was this a mistake too? Cos I need to know. Us? Are you out or in?"

Lilly thought for a moment and then said, "I'm in Scotty. I'm in." He felt a sense of relief wash over him. She turned to walk away but he caught her hand, pulled her towards him and planted another tender kiss on her lips.

"Goodnight Lil."

She smiled, "goodnight Scotty."

That night they both lay awake in their beds thinking about how well the weekend had gone and glad that they were actually going to give their relationship a try. However tomorrow they would be back at work and as nice as this weekend had been, they each secretly wondered how this embryonic romance would do when they were back in the real world.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I know it's been a while since the last update but I've had a case of writer's block. Anyway hope you guys like this chapter, thought I'd include a bit of the case they are working on. Please read and review :-)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case.**

The next morning Scotty arrived at Lilly's house to take her to work as usual. She opened the door and was greeted by Scotty who had a huge smile on his face. "Morning," he said. "Morning Scotty," she smiled back at him and he felt his heart skip a beat. She grabbed her coat and purse and they headed towards his car. Scotty opened the door for her and she got in. Once he was inside too, Lilly said, "You know Scotty, I think it would be best if we kept this.." she gestured between them, "between us. I don't think it's a good idea to tell anyone at work, for now at least. I just want to be sure about what we have before we let everyone know"

"Okay, sure. I was thinking the same thing." He smiled and started the car then leaned into her and kissed her cheek but secretly he wanted to tell the whole world. "You're beautiful, you know." Lilly blushed.

"Not so bad yourself Valens."

Once they arrived at the precinct, Scotty got out of the car and ran around to the passenger side to let Lilly out. They walked into the bullpen together. Scotty brushed his hand against hers as she got to her desk, causing a faint smile to form on Lilly's lips. It wasn't long before the others arrived and Stilman came over to them all to update them on the case. They all gathered round to hear what he had to say. "We got a call from a Ben Russo today, he's a friend of the vic. Claims he has something important to tell us about her murder. He's coming in today. Rush and Valens; I want you two to talk to him."

"Sure boss," Lilly said.

"Miller; I want you and Jeffries to try talking to the brother again. I think there's something he's not telling us."

"You got it," Miller replied. Stilman nodded and went back to his office.

While they were waiting for the victim's friend to arrive Lilly and Scotty were catching up on their paperwork. Every few minutes they would each sneak a glance at the other. Eventually Scotty got up from his desk, "I could use some coffee." He said, covertly winking at Lilly so Vera wouldn't notice.

"Err yeah, me too." Lilly added and followed her partner into the break room. Once they were alone Scotty wrapped his arms around her and placed a light kiss on her lips.

"Hmmm been waitin' all mornin' to do that!" He whispered. Lilly smiled and mirrored his kiss with one of her own.

"We've got to be careful; Vera or Boss could come in any minute."

Scotty grinned, "So dinner tonight, my place?" Lilly nodded. He smiled and reluctantly let her go. As Scotty poured himself and Lilly a cup of coffee Vera walked into the break room.

"Hey guys, the friend's here."

"Thanks." Scotty replied as he and Lilly made their way to the interview room to talk to him. "

"Ben Russo? I'm detective Rush, this is detective Valens." Lilly said gesturing to Scotty, "You got some info on Maria Maddock's murder?"

"Yeah," he began as Lilly sat down. Scotty stood behind her, observing him. "Maria came to me on the night she was murdered. She was crying and asked if she could stay with me."

"Why was she crying?"

"She didn't tell me everything, just said that she didn't want to go home. I assumed she'd had another fight with her dad, they were always arguing."

"Arguing about what?" Scotty asked.

"He always tried to control her, wouldn't let her do anything. She was 22 man, but he still treated her like a kid! She told me once that he would lock her in her room." He paused, "sometimes I thought that….you know… he.."

"What?" Lilly asked.

"He hit her! She wouldn't say as much but I noticed that she had bruises on her arms. She used to wear long sleeves, even in the hot weather to cover them up."

"And how did you notice the bruises then?"

Ben was silent for a few seconds, "because I saw her in my kitchen one night getting some water. She was wearing a short sleeved night top, she must have thought I was asleep."

"Did you ask her about them?" Scotty pressed.

"Tried to, she would just get this look, you know, like she was about to cry."

"How often did Maria…sleep over?" Lilly asked.

"It…it's not what you think. We weren't sleeping together. Maria and I were just friends. We were very close. You know, the kind of friendship you have with someone who'll you do anything for!"

Lilly's eyes quickly darted to Scotty and his to her. "Go on," she encouraged.

"I'd offer to let her stay at my apartment when she needed to. It was only a couple of nights a month but….towards the end it was more like a couple of nights a week. Her and her father were having some real problems." Tears began to form in his eyes, "I remember that last night. She was crying in the bathroom, I heard her talking on her phone. I only caught the end of the conversation but I heard her tell the person to stay away from her and something about telling someone what he was doing to her."

"You think she may have been talking to her father?"

"I think so. Her father had a temper….if he killed her….".

"How come you never told the cops back in ninety eight?"

"Maria's death hit me real hard. I was so messed up I couldn't think striaght. When I heard she was dead I crawled into a bottle and it took me five years to crawl back out. I didn't think of it at the time, but you guys coming around the other day made me think of it. Please detectives, you have to get him, make him pay for what he did to her!""

After they let Russo go, Lilly and Scotty headed back to their desks to discuss the case. A while later Miller and Jeffries had brought the victim's brother in for further questioning. While he waited for them in the interview room Lilly and Scotty caught them up on what Russo had told them, after which they went in to the interview room too.

The day went by slowly but it was soon time to go home again, Scotty eagerly grabbed his coat and then walked over to his partner's desk. "You planning on staying here all night?" He asked and she looked up at him and smiled.

Lilly looked around to check no one else was there. "And miss being waited on by none other than Scotty Valens?" she replied cheekily.

"Well, in that case, may suggest you pack up here and let me take you to my place for dinner, dancing and…dessert!" He wiggled his eyebrows at the last word.

"How could I refuse and offer like that?"

Scotty drove them to his apartment and once there, as he promised her, wouldn't let her do a thing except relax and let him take care of her. Lilly found herself overcome by the realisation of how much he cared about her. The way he made sure she was comfortable and happy, how he had taken the time to learn what her favourite foods where and her favourite type of music. It was clear he wanted the evening to be perfect. Once dinner was ready, he guided her to the table and even pulled out a chair for her to sit down. As he sat down and began pouring her some wine, Lilly found herself thinking about the conversation with Ben Russo. "Do you think that Russo knows more than he's letting on?"

Scotty smiled, "we gonna talk about work this evening? Cos I'd rather talk about you." He reached across and held her hand.

Lilly squeezed his hand back. "Oh yeah?" Lilly replied, her voice low and seductive.

"Hmmm yeah, like how amazing your smile is and your beautiful eyes… and how I find myself unable to think about anything when you're around."

Lilly looked into his eyes and seeing the sincerity in them and was blown away. Her mind went back to what Ben Russo had said about his friendship with the victim being one where he would do anything for her. That must be how Scotty felt. She thought. And in her heart she knew she felt the same way about him. She must have been staring too long as Scotty spoke again, a look of concern on his face. "You okay Lil?"

"Uh, yeah."

"You just had that dear in the headlights look. Thought you might be havin' second thoughts…'bout us?"

"No, Scotty. I do want to give us a try. I just….can't stop thinking about the things that Ben Russo said."

"Well then I'm obviously not doin' my job tonight am I?" He got out of his chair and knelt down in front of her, reached out gently to touch the side of her face with one hand and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "Let me distract you tonight Lil." He kissed her again and she reciprocated, relishing the feel of his warm lips on hers, deepening the kiss slowly. She let out a soft moan as he pulled her towards him.

The moment was broken when Lilly's cell phone rang. "Just ignore it," Scotty breathed. The ringing stopped. He breathed a sigh of relief; however, Scotty's phone rang next. "Oh are you kiddin' me!" They both knew it had to be work. Scotty picked up, "Valens…..uh huh….okay be right there Boss. Yeah I'll swing by and pick her up." He hung up the phone and sighed. "We gotta go. Nick went over to interview the father, found him lying on his kitchen floor. Looks like he killed himself."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I know I've said this before but it does mean a lot to me! It's really good to know that you are enjoying this story. I'm giving this chapter a slightly higher rating due to some bad language.

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Cold Case.**

Chapter 8

When they arrived at the crime scene, Stilman was already there. Lilly walked over to Nick to ask him what had happened. "Trevor Maddock?"

"Yeah." Nick confirmed. "Came over here to ask him about his daughter but there was no answer at the front door. Then I noticed the gate to the back yard was open to I went round to have a look. The back door was unlocked, and when I went inside, I saw him lying there in a pool of his own blood - the gun on the floor next to him. "

"Probably knew we were getting close."Lilly said, Nick nodded.

Just then, Stilman and Scotty joined them. "CSU found signs of a struggle in the living room and two sets of prints on the gun." Stilman informed them.

"Someone else was here?" Lilly asked.

"Looks like it." Stilman replied.

"Would explain why the back door was open. Thing is, there are no signs of forced entry." Nick added.

"So whoever it was, Maddock probably let him in?" Scotty asked. "Maybe they tried to stop him from killing himself?"

"It's funny….normally in suicide cases, there's usually a note. Did CSU find anything like that?"

Stilman shook his head. "Preliminary examination of the body showed injuries to the stomach and defensive wounds to the arms, suggests that Maddock put up a fight."

"So maybe this wasn't really a suicide?" Lilly mused.

"We'll need the M. E. to confirm but it looks like we have a killer on our hands!" Stilman said.

"Maybe we should speak to Russo again?" Scotty suggested. "Seemed pretty certain that Maddock killed his daughter, he was pretty angry…"

"Maybe angry enough to kill?" Lilly finished off his thought.

...

Stilman had told them all to go home after they had no luck tracking down Ben Russo; however, the next day they were all back at PPD hard at work on the case.

Scotty brought Lilly a cup of coffee and the two of them went over the evidence that CSU had found the previous night. Just then, Miller walked over to them carrying a report. "Ballistics say the bullet found inside Trevor Maddock's head matches the gun found at the crime scene, but get this – the gun doesn't belong to Maddock! They traced it back to a Richard Price."

"I don't remember seeing any mention of a Richard Price in the file." Scotty said.

"Could be an alias?" Miller suggested.

"Any luck ID-ing the two sets of prints on the gun?" Lilly asked.

"One definitely belongs to Maddock. They ran the second set but there were no matches in AFIS."

At that moment, Will walked over. "M.E. has ruled out suicide. Turns out Trevor Maddock had pretty bad arthritis in his hands. Wouldn't have been able to pull the trigger himself. CSU also found a strand of hair on Maddock's clothes. There were also epithelial cells under his nails. "

"Could belong to our killer?" Lilly said. Will nodded. "They're getting the DNA analysed."

Upon seeing his detectives gathered round Lilly's desk, Stilman came out of his office and joined them and they brought him up to speed on what they had found so far. "Uniforms have been canvassing the neighbourhood for information on the whereabouts of Russo. No one has seen or heard from him since yesterday evening."

The hours slowly ticked by and the afternoon turned into evening when Stilman burst out of his office. "They've found Russo's car abandoned by the side of the road twenty miles from here near an abandoned barn! There are traces of blood leading off from the vehicle. They found Russo - he's alive but has been taken hostage." He paused, "It's the brother! Rush, Valens - you're with me!"

...

It was starting to get dark by the time they reached the abandoned barn where Ben Russo was being held. Stilman, Lilly and Scotty each put on a Kevlar vest and then made their way to the front of the scene. Jack Maddock stood about six feet away from the barn door, gun pointed at Russo's head. As he saw the detectives approach, he shouted, "don't come any closer or I'll blow his head off!"

"We just want to talk Jack," Stilman reassured him, "please put the gun down."

"He had to be stopped, you know." Jack Maddock's voice was shaking wildly from emotion there were tears in his bloodshot eyes.

"Your father?" Stilman asked calmly.

"He was a bad father!"

"Jack," Lilly began tentatively, "did he hurt Maria?"

"Maria!" he spat, "Maria! It was always about Maria! The child who could do no wrong in dear old daddy's eyes!" The detectives exchanged knowing glances as Jack Maddock continued. "I was the one who worked hard at school, _I _was the one who busted my ass after our mother died, trying to hold our family together while our FATHER just wasted away into a tired excuse for a man! But did I get any thanks?" He waved his gun arm around and then back at Russo's head. In the mean time while Lilly and Stilman held Maddock's attention, Scotty and another uniform officer were cautiously making their way around to the back of where Maddock stood. "He treated me like crap! Acted like I was some kind of animal for disciplining that bitch! She would always talk back to him, do what she wanted, she didn't give a damn about our family!" Tears now streamed down his face and his voice grew shakier with each word. "Do you know, he would lock her in her room at night! To protect her from ME! That bastard!" He then suddenly grabbed Russo. "And you! You turned my sister into a whore! I know how she would go to you at night!" He turned to face Rush and Stilman, "They all had to pay for tearing my family apart. Maria, my father.." he turned to Russo, "and you!"

"No, it wasn't like that!" Russo protested.

"LIAR!" He screamed. "LIAR!" He suddenly caught a glimpse of Scotty in the corner of his eye, "NO!" he fired a shot at the detective in the chest and Scotty went down.

No sooner than this was done than the uniformed officer tackled Russo to the floor, restrained him and kicked his gun away.

"Scotty!" Lilly cried realising what had happened. Everything then seemed to slow down. She watched as Stilman ran over to Scotty who was lying on the floor. She saw the uniformed officer handcuff Jack Maddock. She started to tremble, overcome with emotion and as she saw Maddock stand up. His eyes met hers and she felt her blood run cold. The next thing she knew she was walking over to face him, her gun drawn. She stood directly in front of him, inside she was falling apart but her voice was ice cold. "You shot him!" she said, staring him straight in the eyes and before she could stop herself, she pointed the gun at him. "You shot my partner!"

When Stilman realised what was going on he walked over to her, "Lilly it's alright, we got him!"

"It's not alright," Lilly said, trembling. "He shot him Boss. He shot Scotty!"

Stilman cautiously put his arm on her shoulder. "Lil look," he gestured towards Scotty who was now sitting up, surrounded by medics. "He's okay. The vest saved him. He's going to be okay."

Lilly looked towards her boyfriend and saw that Stilman was telling the truth. She lowered her arm and suddenly her whole body went limp as she collapsed into Stilman's arms. Then everything faded into darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you again for all the great reviews! They really made me smile! This chapter is longer than usual and I'm going to give it a T rating.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case.**

There was a faint voice in the distance calling her name. She listened as the voice grew louder. "Lilly!" As the darkness started to fade away, she began to make out a face. "Lilly." She realised that it was John Stilman who was calling her, forcing her out of the surrounding darkness. "Lilly!" She opened her eyes.

"What happened? " She asked, forcing herself back consciousness.

"You passed out for a while." Stilman informed her.

Everything came flooding back to her, the case they were working on, how Maddock had taken Russo hostage, the shooting. "Scotty!" She whispered, "I need to see him."

Stilman shook his head, "I'm sorry Lil, that's not a good idea right now."

"Please, I need to see him!"

Stilman dropped his head slightly and paused before saying, "I'm sorry Lil, he didn't make it."

Lilly began to feel the tears well up behind her eyes. "What?" She sat upright, Stilman still held her protectively in his arms. "But…y..you told me the vest saved him! I saw him sitting there, he was okay!"

"While you were passed out, there were…complications."

"What complications?"

"When he fell, he hit his head on some rocks on the ground over there. Didn't look too bad at first 'cos he was alert and able to sit but then things took a turn for the worse. He collapsed. The paramedics tried to revive him but…" he trailed off.

"No." Lilly whispered. "NO!" she fought her way out of Stilman's grip and stumbled over to where they were lifting Scotty's body onto a stretcher. "Scotty!" She was crying now.

Stilman caught up with her midway and latched onto her arm. "Lil."

She stopped and turned to face him. "Let me go, I need to see him."

"I know Lil." He told her quietly, "I know about you and Scotty."

Lilly felt her breath catch. "What?"

"I know you two were…involved."

"B…but..how?"

"I was a detective Lil, I know how different the two of you had been acting lately. It didn't take much to see that something was going on." Lilly fell silent. "Which is why I don't think it's a good idea for you to see him right now. Not like this."

"He was my partner, my….."

"I know Lil." Stilman soothed.

"I need to see him!" She told him firmly and continued to walk.

When she got there, she looked at him, laying still, the gentle movement of breath absent from his body. "Scotty!" she choked on her tears.

"I'm sorry Lil." Stilman said as he joined her.

"I shouldn't have let this happen." She whispered, almost to herself.

"There's nothing you could have done."

"No... I mean…I shouldn't have gotten so close. I should have let us just be partners….. It hurts Boss." She sobbed. "I can't believe he's gone." She reached out to Scotty and touched his face and gently stroked his head.

"It's too bad." Lilly heard someone else behind her speak. "He was so young, had his whole life ahead of him. Why did you have to kill him Lilly?"

She turned around, "Kite?" she said, shocked. Kite smiled. "What are you talking about? I didn't kill him!"

Kite shrugged, "Well it's true you weren't the one who pulled the trigger, but you may as well have done." He paused, "after all, you know that anyone who has ever loved you has…gone away!"

Lilly found it harder to breathe. "Stop, stop saying that. He didn't….."

"Didn't love you? Oh come on now, you know as well as I do that he was crazy about you. You practically had him eating out of the palm of your hand – he would have done anything for you!"

"He didn't love me…he couldn't have done….could he?"

"You mean you couldn't love _him_?" He laughed, "That's Lilly Rush for you ladies and gentlemen! Never letting anyone get close. Ice Queen of Homicide. Ice Queen to the core! You wouldn't know a good thing if it hit you in the face!"

"Stop. Why are you saying that?"

"Are you denying it then?" he challenged.

Lilly was silent.

Kite smirked, "that's what I thought. You live in denial Rush. It will be your downfall. Always making excuses. _He is my partner, things could get complicated. It will never work._ _He doesn't feel that way about me!_ One excuse after another. And look where it's got you!" He gestured to Scotty's body. "He died without ever knowing that underneath that icy cold façade, you really did care about him." Lilly began to cry again. "You could have made him really happy, but instead he spent his last days wondering if his feelings were just one-sided. If you really even did care about him at all. If there would ever be anything _real _between you." He shook his head.

"Shut up! That's not true…I…" she struggled for air as she found her throat getting tighter. The world around her began to spin and then fade into darkness again… and then there was a burst of light.

...

Lilly woke up with a start, her heart racing and her breathing rapid and shallow. As she began to calm down she realised that she had fallen asleep on the couch in the break room at PPD. She steadied herself, got off the couch and made her way to the sink to get herself some water. Upon seeing her awake, Stilman walked into the break room to check on her. "Sleep well?" he asked her.

"Didn't mean to fall asleep." Lilly told him, slightly embarrassed.

Stilman smiled, "it's okay Lil, it's been a long day."

"Any word on Scotty?"

Nick called a little earlier said Scotty was discharged from the hospital and he was going to take him home. "He's got some bruising but otherwise he's fine. "

Lilly breathed a long a sigh of relief which did not go unnoticed to Stilman. "You okay Lil?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him.

Stilman studied his detective and thought carefully about his next words. "No matter how much we prepare for it, no amount of training can prepare you for one of your own getting shot."

Lilly knew what exactly what he was referring to. "I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me…"

"The important thing is that _nothing _happened. Right?"

"Right." She replied cautiously.

"The way I saw it, you saw your partner go down and you acted quickly to help secure the perp before anyone else got hurt."

Lilly swallowed, "yeah that's right." She told him slowly, "That's what happened."

Stilman nodded. "Go home Lil. Get some sleep. You shouldn't have come back here anyway!"

"Maddock..."

"Is being dealt with. Turns out Miller was right, he bought the gun under the alias Richard Price. He's facing charges of kidnapping, assault and murder. Not to mention how he shot Scotty. He's going away for life!" Stilman lowered his voice, "now go home Rush, I mean it!" Lilly nodded, relenting and Stilman walked back to his office.

...

Lilly finished off her water and then made her way back to her desk, grabbed her coat and bag and then made her way out of the building. As she walked out of the elevator, she noticed that Ben Russo was sitting in the lobby. She walked up to him. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

He looked up at her, "detective, yeah, just needed some time, to think."

Lilly sat down next to him. "He's going to pay for what he did to her." She assured him.

Russo sighed, "I was so sure, you know. I really thought it was her father. Jack seemed so...normal. I would never have thought he would do that to her."

"Sometimes it's hard to tell what goes on behind closed doors." Lilly said.

"Oh God, I ..." He held his head in his hands. "There were some nights when all I could do was just lie in bed and think about killing him, for what I thought he'd done." He sighed and then lifted his head back up again and stared straight ahead. "I just wanted to hurt him. Maria was the one thing in my life that kept me going through all the bad times. She was my world, my best friend. Even when I was being a pain in the ass, she never gave up on me. And I just wanted to destroy that son of a bitch!" He looked Lilly in the eyes, "you understand exactly don't you?"

Lilly opened her eyes in surprise at that statement. "Excuse me?"

"That cop who got shot, he means something to you doesn't he? Something important."

"I...I he..he's my partner." Was all she could get out.

"But he's more than just that to you isn't he? I was there; I saw the look in your eyes when you pointed the gun at Jack. I've seen that look in the mirror each time I thought of killing Maria's father. You wanted to kill him for what he had done."

Lilly stood up to leave, "I have to go." She turned toward the exit.

Russo called out to her. "Detective, take my advice, from someone who knows what it's like to lose someone who they care about." Lilly turned to face him. "Let him know how you really feel about him, while you still have the chance."

...

Lilly could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes again as she turned and headed out the door. As she walked to the car park, all she could think about was how she wanted to go home and forget this day ever happened. She soon reached her car, unlocked it and got in. And that's when the reality of the situation hit her with full force. Lilly realised that she couldn't just forget it. This whole thing with Scotty wasn't just some passing romance that would just fade with the light of day. _Scotty could have died tonight. _She thought, and it shook her deeply, as the implications of that washed over her. She had secretly hoped that the romantic feelings she had for him would vanish once they got back to reality. She shrugged them off as being a fantasy, a crush, but now, as she ran the thought of almost losing him over and over in her mind she had to admit to herself that what she felt for him wasn't a crush. The feelings had not disappeared but they had been brought to the fore and she was unable to deny it any longer. She held onto the steering wheel of her parked car, and let her tears flow freely.

It was twenty minutes before she could stop crying. She dried her eyes and turned on the ignition. Her mind was telling her to go home and sleep but her heart was pulling her in another direction. She drove towards Scotty's apartment building and once she arrived there practically ran to his door. Once there, she hesitated for a moment before knocking. She waited but there was no answer. _What are you thinking Rush? It's 1am, he's probably asleep. _She was about to turn around and go back to her car when she heard the clicking of the lock and the door opened.

Scotty stood there still dressed in his shirt and pants. It looked like he hadn't gone to bed yet. "Lil?" Scotty asked, surprised to see her at his door so early in the morning. "You okay? Come in."

Lilly walked into this apartment and Scotty closed the door. She prepared herself for everything she had to tell him, but when she looked him in the eyes, as if out of nowhere, she felt a surge of anger. "You're an idiot!" She yelled at him. Stunned, Scotty stood there with his mouth open, staring at her. "What were you thinking tonight? You could have got yourself killed! How could you have been so stupid?"

"I'm sorry mum." Scotty joked, but that just made Lilly angrier.

"You think this is funny?" She asked, her eyes tearing up once more, "You could have died!"

"Lil, I'm a cop, I was doing my job. Sometimes that means putting my life in danger. It's what we do, you know that." He told her.

"You're my partner, we're supposed to work these cases together!" She explained through tears. Scotty moved towards her. "How am I supposed to do that if you're not here?"

Scotty embraced her tenderly in his arms, "hey, Lil, it's okay. I'm okay."

"You could have died." She whispered.

He pulled back a little and looked her in the eyes, "I told you Lil, you ain't never gonna lose me."

"I was so scared, Scotty. I thought he'd killed you. I almost shot him."

He wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her head. "Shh shh. Everything's okay now. I'm here. Everythin's gonna be okay."

"I'm sorry." Lilly began, "I'm sorry for never telling you...how much you mean to me."

Scotty moved closer to her, a warm feeling of happiness spreading over him. "Well you can tell me now!" he grinned cheekily.

Lilly smiled seductively, "I'd rather show you!"

"Hmmmm..even better!" Scotty whispered softly as Lilly planted a kiss on his lips.

"I don't want to the be the Ice Queen with you anymore." She said as her hands found their way to the back of his head and she pulled him closer into her, deepening the kiss.

"Then let me melt you down Lilly Rush!" He told her in between slow steamy kisses.

"But if you _ever _scare me like that again Valens, I'm gonna kick your ass!" Scotty laughed and pulled her closer, then winced slightly. Lilly pulled back and began to unbutton his shirt. When all the buttons were off, she slid it off his shoulders and gently moved her hands to the bruised area just near his heart. "Does it hurt...here?" she asked softly, as she tenderly kissed the area.

"Uh huh," he murmured as he ran his hands through her silky hair.

Lilly moved her lips to the other side of his chest. "and what about...here and here?"

Scotty's pulse quickened at the feel of her soft, warm lips on his body. "Oh yes!" he groaned, feeling himself become aroused. Lilly smiled as she moved lower down, trailing a path of kisses as she went, stopping just above his navel. She undid his pants and let them fall to the floor. Scotty lifted her up to meet his dark passionate eyes. He kicked off his pants as he pulled her onto the couch, hands wandering all over her body, his lips hungering on her neck and shoulders as took off her shirt to expose her delicate pale skin. He then moved his lips over the lacy material of her bra, fingers caressing her hardened nipples.

Lilly shivered with delight. "Oh Scotty!"

Scotty reached out to touch her face, "I know you're hurtin' too Lil" he could still see a trace of sadness in her blue eyes. "Let me take that pain away." He stood up, scooped her in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.

"Scotty you should be careful, doesn't this hurt you?" Lilly asked, concerned.

"It does hurt, but it hurts more to be without you Lil."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Okay this chapter is T-rated again and it is pure fluff! You have been warned! :-) As always your reviews are very much appreciated.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case.**

Lilly awoke the next morning feeling well rested. As her eyes slowly opened they were greeted by the bright sunlight streaming through the window. She felt a warm body behind her, an arm draped over her stomach, and she smiled contentedly as memories of the previous night came back to her. Carefully, she turned around to face the man who lay beside her but when she did, she saw that he was already awake.

"Morning," Scotty said as he smiled at her.

"Morning," she replied and found a similar smile creeping up on her face as she realised that he had been watching her sleep.

He moved his hand up to her face and tenderly brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. "You know, I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to this." He looked into her blue eyes, "do you know how beautiful you are Lilly Rush?"

She snuggled closer and curled her arm around him, softly stroking his back. "And you Scotty Valens…." She nuzzled his nose with hers, "are.." she said in between kisses, "an… amazing…. guy." Lilly rested her head on Scotty's chest and sighed. "I could just lie here all day."

Scotty grinned. "Just lie here?" He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, "I can think of something a little more _fun_ to do!"

The passion burned in Lilly's eyes making them appear a darker shade of blue. "Oh yeah?" she asked, kissing his chest, her hands beginning to roam over his body.

"Here, let me show you." He seized her lips with his and the two became locked in an intense embrace, bodies intertwined, each feeling safe and comforted in the other's arms. All the years of pain and sorrow, melting away with warm tender caresses and loving kisses.

Just then, Lilly remembered it was Tuesday and they had to go to work. "Scotty.." she began, then moaned softly as he placed a trail of kisses from her neck to her breasts. "Scotty, we can't….do this now…" she struggled to get the words out.

Scotty giggled; pleased with the effect he was having on her as his hands moved to her butt.

"Got.. to go to….work" Lilly gasped as his mouth travelled southwards. "Scotty!" She reluctantly struggled out of his reach. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "We're going to be late. I have to go home and change."

Scotty stared at her naked body, which was only partially covered by the sheet and grinned. "Kinda like what you're wearing now!"

Lilly threw a pillow at him and laughed, then leaned into him again and stroked the side of his face before placing a soft lingering kiss on his lips. "Seriously, I have to go."

Scotty watched as she hurriedly got dressed and smiled at how cute she looked, "you know, you can always wear one of my shirts." He offered jokingly. Lilly glared playfully at him and Scotty laughed. Once fully dressed she sat down on the bed next to him and took his hand in hers, her eyes smiling with happiness when she told him, "I'm glad we decided to give this a try Scotty."

He squeezed her hand, relishing the newfound closeness they shared. "Me too."

She kissed him again and then stood up to leave. "I'll see you at work, handsome." She winked as she reached the doorframe.

"Better believe it, beautiful!" he replied and then sank back into the bed, already missing her.

….

By the time Scotty arrived at the precinct, Lilly was already there, hard at work. _How the hell did she get here before me?_He wondered.

He was greeted by John Stilman who had a worried expression on his face. "Hey, Scotty. How're you feeling?" He asked concerned.

"Good Boss. Ready to get back at it."

Stilman frowned, "are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. It's just a little bruising, that's all. Doc said I'll be back to normal in no time!" He gave him a confident smile.

Stilman nodded, "glad you're alright Scotty. But you're on desk duty till you're properly healed."

Scotty nodded reluctantly and then continued to his desk. He smiled to himself as he walked passed Lilly's desk. "Morning Lil," he greeted brightly.

"Morning Scotty." She replied casually, catching a whiff of his cologne as he walked passed which instantly brought back memories of the previous night. She tried her best to suppress a smile but was only partially successful.

"What's so amusing?" Kat Miller asked as she walked by.

Lilly looked up, startled out of her thoughts. "Uh nothing." She told her, fixing her Ice Queen expression firmly back on her face. "What have we got?" She asked, referring to the case file Miller was carrying.

"John Doe from eighty six. Jumped out of a four story window. A witness has just come forward with new evidence that it may have been a homicide. Vera and Jeffries are checkin' it out."

Upon hearing about the new case, Scotty walked over to join them. He stood just behind Lilly and rested his forearm on the back of her chair; the warmth of his body behind her caused goose bumps to form on her skin and it was all she could do to keep herself from leaning her head back into him. She realised then that keeping this relationship a secret would be more difficult than she imagined. She forced herself to concentrate on what Kat was saying, fighting off daydreams about taking her boyfriend into the break room and making out on the couch. She hadn't realised how much she desired Scotty until last night and now that door had been opened she found it difficult to think about anything else.

...

Things got a little quieter towards the evening and Stilman sent everyone home. As had become their routine now, Scotty waited for Lilly and the two of them walked out together. The chill of the evening air hit them as they left the building, causing Lilly to pull her coat tighter around her. Scotty waited until he was sure they couldn't be seen by anyone from work before putting his arm around her and pulling her closer to him in an attempt to keep her warm. Just as Lilly was about to turn in the direction of Scotty's car, he pulled her another way. She looked at him, confused. "Car's this way?"

"Thought we could take a walk?" He told her. "It's a nice evening."

Lilly smiled, "That's sounds great."

Scotty held her hand as the two of them strolled about the busy Philadelphia streets, joking about with each other, laughing, making small talk and stealing glances at each other every so often. Anything that had been bothering them seemed to have melted away and they both were surprised at how comfortable and easy it was to be with each other, how they just fit together. Neither had to pretend to be anything they weren't. They had known each other for so long, been through so much together that they understood each other so well.

When the evening grew colder, Scotty drove Lilly home. He parked his car outside her house and walked her to her door. There they stood, hand in hand, gazing into each other's eyes. "Is it just me or does this feel like a first date?" Lilly asked.

Scotty laughed. "You know, I guess this kinda was."

Lilly smiled, "then I guess it wouldn't be appropriate for me to kiss you now?" she teased.

He grinned, leaning into her and kissed her softly on her lips, then pulled back, and smiled, taking her in with his eyes and was amazed at how beautiful she looked in the moonlight.

"And I guess it would be really inappropriate for me to invite you in.." she said, unlocking the door. Scotty followed her inside, taking off his jacket as Lilly put the heating on. She felt him behind her as he reached around her waist and put his arms around her. Lilly settled into his touch, feeling the last bits of tension disappear. This was where she belonged, she felt. He turned her around to face him and within seconds, their lips were locked in a heated kiss, tongues caressing each other, hands undoing each other's clothes. They fell to the floor, onto the soft rug next to the heater and made love to each other twice, finally finding the comfort, security and passion they had sought for so long.

Afterwards, they sat together, peaceful, happy, cuddling on the sofa, both near to sleep. As Scotty's eyes began to drift closed, he realised that he hadn't felt this way about anyone since Elisa. As Lilly's eyes slowly closed, she found herself so very grateful that she finally had someone in her life whom she could trust. Someone she could let in her heart and know he wouldn't break it, because, she realised, that no matter how hard she had fought it, Scotty _was _in her heart, he had been for a while but she never realised it. That thought filled her with warmth as she wrapped her arms around him and they both fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks for all the nice reviews for the last chapter, you guys are great! :- ) So, here's the next instalment. This chapter takes place two weeks after the last one.

**Disclaimer: Alas, Cold Case is not mine and probably never will be. **

Nick Vera walked into the bullpen that morning grinning from ear to ear. "What's put him in such a good mood?" Lilly asked Will Jeffries.

"He just signed the lease on his new apartment." He explained. "Had his eye on that place for a while; finally moved in yesterday."

"Morning." Vera greeted the two of them, on his way to the break room.

"Morning," Lilly replied, "hey, congrats on the new place."

Vera smiled, "thanks. Hey you are all invited to dinner this Saturday. Having a house warming."

"Sounds great, I'll be there." Lilly told him.

"Yeah me too." Will replied.

Just then Scotty joined them, having only caught the end of the conversation he asked, "where we going?"

"Nick's invited us all to his house warming on Saturday." Lilly told him.

"You gonna be cookin?" Scotty asked, grinning cheekily.

"Hey, I can cook!" Nick responded in mock offence. The other three gave him uncertain looks. Nick sighed in resignation, "okay I'll get take out."

Scotty smiled in amusement, "great Nicky, I'll be there!"

Jeffries laughed, following his partner into the break room to get a coffee.

Realising then, that they were alone, Scotty moved closer to Lilly, "hey."

"Hey," she replied, unable to keep the smile from her face.

"I had an interesting dream last night…"

"Oh, yeah?" Lilly raised her eyebrows suggestively, "what about?"

Scotty lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "I was walking along the beach with this really hot blonde, and she was wearing this bikini that was sooo small…" He trailed off as he saw his colleagues come out of the break room. "And so I said to the guy, if you expect me to pay that much for a cheesesteak you got another thing comin'! And then I walk outta there." He finished in his normal tone of voice so as not to raise any suspicion.

Lilly laughed, "Good recovery!" she whispered to him, "but I expect to hear about the rest of the dream later." She then walked over to her desk, leaving Scotty with a smile on his face.

...

The weekend came round quickly and Lilly was in her bedroom getting ready for dinner at Vera's new place. She had just finished doing her hair when Scotty walked in. "You ready Lil? We're gonna be late?"

"Just a couple of minutes more. " She told him and then proceeded to walk towards her closet to get her purse when she suddenly stopped.

"You okay?" Scotty asked.

Lilly held her hand up to her mouth and quickly ran to the bathroom. Concerned, Scotty followed her and arrived at the bathroom just in time to hear her throw up inside. He knocked on the door. "Lil? You okay in there?"

A few seconds later Lilly opened the bathroom door. "I just felt a little queasy, I'll be okay. Let me just get my purse and then we can go."

She was about to walk back to the bedroom when Scotty grabbed her hand. "Lil, you sure you're okay?"

Lilly nodded and then continued to get her purse.

…

Once they were in Scotty's car and on their way to Vera's new apartment Lilly started to feel a lot better. "You know," she began, "they're gonna start getting suspicious if we keep turning up together."

"Your ankle's not fully healed yet; I'm just being a good partner and looking out for ya." He said, smiling.

"Is that right Valens?" she asked, amused.

"That's right Rush. You know, as I'm being such a good partner, maybe you should buy me some donuts tomorrow?" He teased.

Lilly grinned, "If you want dessert, Scotty, you just have to ask."

Scotty's grin widened. "You shouldn't distract me like that when I'm driving." He told her, to which Lilly giggled, a sound that filled him with warmth and affection for her.

After a couple of minutes Lilly asked, "Do you think they'll buy it?"

"Buy what?"

"That you're just helping me out 'cos of my ankle?"

"Yeah, they got no reason to think otherwise."

Lilly thought for a moment, "Well, they do know how overprotective you can be."

"Hey, I am not overprotective!"

"Oh come on Scotty, you know you are! Remember when your brother brought your nephew to the precinct for you to look after?"

"Oh yeah, that time when Allie went into labour." He recalled.

"You wouldn't let him out of your sight!"

Scotty shrugged, "is that a bad thing? We get some shady people comin' in there, I'm his uncle, just wanted to keep him safe."

But did you have to accompany him to my desk every time too?"

Scotty smiled, "just wanted to make sure he wasn't saying anything about me to ya, you know, embarrassing family secrets."

"Ah!" Lilly laughed, "Okay, I guess I was wrong, you're not overprotective, you're paranoid!" Scotty pouted; an expression which Lilly thought made him look like a little boy. "You care," she said placing a hand on his knee in a reassuring gesture, "it's one of the things I love about you." To that, Scotty turned to look at her and Lilly froze, realising what she had said. Then she looked down at her feet, blushing and Scotty turned his attention back to the road, unable to stop smiling.

...

They pulled up at Vera's apartment about half an hour later and walked up to his door and knocked. Vera opened the door and let them inside. Scotty handed him the six pack of beer they had brought. Nick smiled, "thanks man. Come in, make yourselves at home. Mi casa es su casa." They both walked in, Nick took their coats. Jefferies and Stilman and Kat were already there.

Lilly sat down on the sofa next to the other three detectives and began conversing, while Nick took Scotty into the kitchen. "So," he whispered so as not to be heard by the others. "Should I call for a surgeon?"

Scotty looked at him quizzically. "You two joined at the hip now?" He clarified.

"Oh!" Scotty understood, "nah man! Just gave her a ride over here, her ankle's still playin' up."

Nick wore an amused expression on his face. "Uh huh, and I'm the Queen of Sheba!"

Scotty shrugged his shoulders and tried to sound as nonchalant as he could, "It ain't like that man. You know how Rush can be. She'd never admit she was in pain and just try to carry on until she does something to make it worse."

Nick nodded knowingly, "she's outta your league anyway." Scotty smirked and then moved to join the others in the living room.

...

The six of them were having a great evening. Jeffries and Stilman debated over which was better, country music or rock and roll which ended in neither of them agreeing with the other. Nick tried to impress everyone by demonstrating how many consecutive times he could catch peanuts in his mouth – his record was twenty seven, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Nick got up to open it, the takeout had arrived. Nick paid the guy and took the food into the dining room. "Food's here!" he told everyone. They all began to move to the dining table when suddenly Lilly was overcome with another wave of nausea.

"Can I use your bathroom?" She asked him, pretending that everything was fine but Scotty could tell she was feeling sick again.

"Sure, it's just over there, first door on the right." Nick told her. Lilly nodded gratefully and then briskly walked to the bathroom.

When she came out the others had already begun putting food onto their plates. She took a seat next to Scotty. "Everything okay?" he asked her quietly so no one else would hear.

"I'm fine Scotty." She reassured him and proceeded to help herself to the chow mein.

Throughout dinner Scotty kept giving her concerned glances every so often, unconvinced that Lilly was really alright. He noticed that her face was looking a little flushed. He made a mental note to himself that he would check her temperature once he took her home.

Once dinner was finished, Nick began clearing table while the others relaxed in the living room, listening to music and chatting away. Lilly was once again overcome by nausea and discretely made her way to the bathroom. Scotty noticed her leave and waited a little while before following her. When he arrived at the bathroom door, he once again heard Lilly being sick. He knocked, his concern for her growing "Lil? You okay?" he asked.

Once Lilly had finished she opened the door and he walked inside. "This is the third time this evening." Lilly told him. "Think I've got some kind of stomach bug."

Scotty thought for a minute and then asked her, "Lil, you don't think…you know…. that you might be pregnant? Cos there was that one time when we didn't…."

Lilly's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh God, you don't think…. can I be?"

"Maybe we should get one of those home tests?"

"I'm not pregnant Scotty." She tried to reassure him, even though she knew there was a chance. "I'll be okay. Look why don't you go back out there with the others and I'll join you in a little while okay?"

Scotty reluctantly nodded and left. Lilly closed the bathroom door and slumped by the side of the shower. "I can't be pregnant." She tried to convince herself. "It's just a bug. I'm not pregnant! Oh God I can't be pregnant!"

Little did she realise that Kat was on her way to the bathroom too but just as she was about to knock on the door she stopped when she heard Lilly talking to herself. She only caught the end of Lilly's last sentence. She stopped outside and gasped in shock and excitement. _Oh my God! _She thought. _Lilly's pregnant!_


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this update. Life kinda got in the way but I really hope you like this chapter. As always, your reviews are very much appreciated and a big thank you to everyone who reviewed last time. You guys are great! :- )

**Disclaimer: Cold Case is not mine.**

Chapter 12

_Oh my God! _Kat thought to herself, barely able to believe her ears. _I didn't even know she was seeing anyone!_ Just then a million thoughts began to race through her head, who was the father? How long have they been together and why the hell had she kept this from her?

Just then Nick came down the corridor. "There you are! Hey you seen Lil? We're all gonna…"

Kat quickly ran up to him, "Shhh!" she said, not wanting Lilly to hear what she was about to say.

"What's going on?" Nick asked. Kat heard the bathroom door begin to open and she quickly dragged Nick into the spare bedroom and closed the door.

"There's something I have to tell you, but it's really big, I'm not sure how to start." She whispered.

Nick had an amused grin on his face. "How much have you had to drink tonight?" he asked, Kat looked at him, confused. "Well let's see," Nick began to explain, "you dragged me into the bedroom and whispering that you've got something important to tell me, and you're all out of breath.." he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Kat gave him an annoyed look and then hit his arm hard causing Nick to wince in pain. "In your dreams, moron!" she retorted, "Okay look, you've got to keep this a secret."

"Keep what a secret?" He asked, rubbing his arm.

Kat paused, "Lilly's pregnant."

"What!" He blurted out.

"Shhhh! For God's sake Nick!"

"Lilly's pregnant?" He whispered this time.

"Yeah."

"How do you know? Did she tell you?" I heard her in the bathroom just now, she was talking to herself. Did you know she was seeing anyone?"

Nick was silent for a little while, thinking whether he should let Kat know of his suspicions, then thought better of it. "No, she didn't say anything to me." He told her.

"Do you think anyone else knows?" She asked him, but answered her own question before he could speak. "No, someone would have said something and you'd think Scotty would have said something, the amount of time they've been spending together. But you know what I really don't understand is why she didn't tell me?"

A smile began to creep up onto Nick's face, partly because Kat had begun to talk increasing faster and partly due to the fact that she didn't suspect Scotty of being the father. He knew something she didn't. This could be fun, he thought, but first he had to find out for sure. He got so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't realised that Kat had stopped talking and was now staring at the goofy grin on his face, an annoyed expression on hers.

"Nick! What the hell are you grinning at?" she was starting to get a little flustered.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I was just wondering who the father was?" He told her, his face slightly flushed from suppressed laughter. "I think we better get back before they come looking for us."

"Right." Kat agreed, and then proceeded to open the door.

They didn't get half a foot out of the door when they were confronted by Scotty who had come looking for them. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the two of them coming out of the bedroom, she looking a little worked up and his face red and wearing a huge grin. "There you two are!"

"Yeah, we were just coming back." Kat explained, as she hurried off back to the living room. Nick casually walked passed him, smiling and eyeing him suspiciously.

"Everything okay Nicky?" Scotty asked.

"Couldn't be better!" he said as he too walked off, leaving Scotty standing in the corridor grinning to himself.

"I'll bet!" Scotty said quietly to himself and then joined everyone else in the living room.

…..

Later that night Scotty took Lilly back to her place. Her stomach was feeling a little better but she was really tired. He helped her into bed and covered her with the sheets. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Tired. Don't feel so sick anymore though."

"Good." He replied, "you gonna be okay? I could stay here if you want?"

"It's okay Scotty, I'll be fine. I just need some rest, be fine in the morning."

"Hey you'll never guess what I saw this evening!"

"What?" Lilly asked, curious.

"You know how I went looking for Nick and Kat? Well I saw them comin' outta the bedroom, and they were looking hot and bothered. And when Kat saw me she took off pretty quickly and he had this huge smile on his face…you know what I'm thinkin'?"

"Nick and Kat?" Lilly asked incredulously.

"I think so." Scotty said.

"Gotta tell you Scotty, didn't see that one coming."

"Looks like there are two office romances down at Philly P.D." He smiled then knelt down next to her and held her hand.

"Scotty, what if….what t I _am _pregnant? I mean we've only really just started dating and…."

"Shhhh, hey it's okay. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We don't even know if you are. Let's find out first okay." He paused, "I'm gonna see Mike tomorrow, but I'll stop by afterwards okay?" he offered.

Lilly thought for a minute, "Okay."

He nodded and then bent down to kiss her on the head. "Night Lil."

"Night Scotty." She said as her eyes closed. Scotty smiled and then went home.

…..

The next morning Lilly sat at her breakfast table eating a slice of toast. It was the only thing she could stomach. Suddenly she felt something soft brush against her legs. She looked down and saw her cat Olivia at her feet, staring up at her. "Hey Olivia," she greeted. "I know what you're thinking, but I'm not pregnant. Okay I might be. Oh God what if I am? What am I going to do? How am I going to look after a baby; and Scotty, is he ready to be a father?" Olivia mewed and ran off. Lilly smiled, "thanks a lot." She finished off her toast and put her coat on and began the short walk to the pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test. She needed to find out for sure.

…..

Scotty arrived at his brother Mike's house later that morning. He invited Scotty in and got them both a beer as they sat down on the sofa in the living room. "So what's up little brother?" Mike asked, "don't tell me, it's about a woman?"

"How did you know?" Scotty asked, surprised.

Mike laughed, "call it big brother's intuition. So what kind of trouble are you in this time?"

Scotty sighed, "I've started seeing this really amazing woman, we've only been going out a couple of weeks but I think we really have somethin', you know?"

Mike nodded, " that's great little brother - so who is she, what's her name?"

"It's Lilly."

Mike looked at his brother, surprise written all over his face. "As in your partner, Lilly?"

Scotty nodded, "yeah."

Mike let out a breath, "you sure that's a good idea Scotty? I mean, things could get...complicated mixing work with, well life."

Scotty waited a beat before saying, "She may be pregnant."

Mike was silent for a few seconds. "Wow, what are you gonna do?"

"I think if she really is pregnant, we're gonna keep the baby, but I know Lil's scared of being a mother."

"And what about you?"

"I've always wanted a family someday, and having one with Lil, well, that's incredible...it's just unexpected."

"Do you love her?"

Now it was Scotty's turn to be silent. "I think I'm fallin' for her, I mean, this ain't a short term thing. I can see us bein' together, maybe one day gettin' married," he told Mike as he began to run his fingers through his hair. "But I don't know if she feels the same."

"Have you told her?" Scotty shook his head. "You gotta tell her Scotty, let her know how you feel."

"It was hard enough tryin' to convince her to give us a try...I don't want to scare her off."

"Listen to me," he told him, putting his hand on Scotty's shoulder, "if there's going to be a baby involved, you can't be messing around, you have to know where you stand with each other. You have to let her know that you're in this for the long haul, or she probably _will _run."

Scotty thought for a while and then finished off his beer. "Thanks Mike, gotta go. Told Lil I'll stop by her place, see how she's doin'. Listen, could we just keep this between us for now, don't tell ma or anyone, okay?"

"Okay. Oh and could you have a look and see if you can find that old baseball bat of yours? I wanna play ball with Emillio in the park this weekend but I can't find my bat."

Scotty smiled, "sure."

...

Scotty went back to his place to change his clothes before going to see Lilly. He opened up his closet to pick out some fresh clothes when he remembered Mike's request about the baseball bat. _I know that bat is in here somewhere. _He thought as he searched the back of his closet. He continued to sift through the various items that lay hidden behind his clothes until he came across a box .He stopped, realising what was in it. He slowly took it out and carried it to his bed where he sat down and opened it. Inside were pictures of Elisa. He took one out and held it. It was one of her smiling. He gazed at it as the memories of her came back to him and he felt a tear trickle down the side of his face. He touched the picture of her face with his finger. I_'m sorry I wasn't there for you when you really needed me. _It was then that he promised himself that he wouldn't make that same mistake with Lilly. He put the picture back into the box and hurriedly got dressed before heading off to see the woman he was falling in love with.

...

Scotty knocked on her door just as she was coming out of the bathroom. Lilly opened the door and invited him inside. "Hey Lil," Scotty began, "how you feelin'?"

"Not as tired, but I'm still a little nauseous."

"Did you buy a pregnancy test?"

Lilly let out a deep breath, "yeah."

Scotty looked into her eyes, "are you..."

"I don't know yet, took the test just now, but it'll take another minute."

"Right."

There was silence for a few seconds before Lilly spoke. "I'd better go check now." Lilly began walking to the bathroom and Scotty began to follow. "Scotty...could you wait here...please?" she asked, her voice quiet. Scotty reluctantly nodded but just as she was about to walk off he stopped her.

"Lil, I just want you to know..." Lilly stopped and turned to look at him. He moved towards her, holding her hands in his, "that if you are pregnant, I'm gonna be here for you and the baby. I wanna help raise..our child...if you'll let me?"

Lilly eyes began to fill with tears and she held Scotty in a tight embrace. Then she pulled away without saying a word and walked into the bathroom. She gently closed the door behind her and walked towards the counter where the pregnancy test lay. Once the necessary time had passed she took a deep breath before picking it up. Was she pregnant or not? She picked it up and there in her hands was the answer.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: So here's chapter 13 and you finally find out the answer you've been waiting for. But no matter which answer you were hoping for, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews are always welcome. :- )

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case**

Lilly looked down at the pregnancy test in her hand and made sure that what she saw was real. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly in an attempt to steady herself before she gave Scotty the news. She stood up slowly and opened the bathroom door. Scotty stood there expectantly, a slight nervous look on his face. "Scotty," she began, "I'm not pregnant."

He stood there in silence for a second or two, trying to process what Lilly had just told him. "You sure?"

"It's negative." She said, showing him the test she held in her hand.

"Okay." Scotty said slowly, trying to hide the secret disappointment he felt.

Lilly looked at him, unsure of what he was feeling, "that's good right?" she asked, "I mean, we've only just started dating."

"Yeah, yeah, it's good." Scotty told her but deep down he was starting to get used to the idea of becoming a father.

Lilly went back into the bathroom to dispose of the pregnancy test and Scotty walked into the living room and sat quietly on the couch. A short while later Lilly sat next to him. "Hey, you okay?" she asked him, concerned that he had become so quiet.

He took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm fine Lil, but I think that you really need to go see a doctor now. If you ain't pregnant then that means you've probably got a stomach bug."

"I will," Lilly reassured him. There was a brief moment of silence before she said "Scotty, did you mean all that you said before?"

"Yeah, every word."

Lilly felt tears fill her eyes and she hugged him again. He held her in his arms and kissed the side of her face. "If you were pregnant I wouldn't have let you go through that alone, we're in this together."

"Scotty." She whispered as her tears trickled down her face and onto his shoulder. She then pulled back, looked into his eyes and smiled. "You are the kindest, most decent man I know." Then she kissed him, softly at first and then more deeply.

Scotty was overcome with affection just then; all he wanted to do was hold her and kiss her and tell her that he loved her. But each time he wanted to say those words, he hesitated, scared of her reaction. In the end all that he could say was "I'm not leavin' you Lil. I'm here for you, always."

…..

Later that evening Scotty was sitting in his apartment nursing a beer in his living room. From the time Lilly had told him that she was not pregnant, he just couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment he felt at the realisation that he was not going to be a father. He tried to see things from a rational perspective, Lilly was right, they had only really just started going out and it was way too soon to have a baby, but this whole thing had forced him to realise the full nature of his feelings. He was actually ready to have child with her, to be a father. He knew that what he felt wasn't logical but then again, he was the kind of guy who always went with his heart. When he thought she could be pregnant, he let himself imagine what life would be like with the three of them as a family. His thoughts then turned to Lilly's reaction, she sounded relieved. He wondered how she felt about the future of their relationship. Was she thinking about the long term? Scotty couldn't be sure. Although they had just started dating they had known each other a lot longer and been through more in that time than many couples go through in a decade. Suddenly a feeling of doubt began to invade his mind, had he misjudged her? He could have sworn they were on the same page, but not he wasn't so sure. He took another sip of his beer and started thinking about Lilly's past relationships. They had all ended in her getting hurt in some way. Scotty couldn't blame her for being cautious. He made up his mind then that he would be patient with her, let her see without doubt that she could trust him.

...

The next morning Lilly arrived nice and early for work. She sat at her desk, leisurely sipping her coffee and just enjoying the silence before the inevitable noise that would ensue after her colleagues had arrived. Sure enough, an hour later, Nick and Will entered the bullpen, chatting away. When Nick saw Lilly he stopped talking and moved towards her desk. Once there he greeted her, his voice had grown quiet. "Morning."

"Morning Nick," Lilly replied, eyes fixed on a report she was reading.

Nick paused before saying, "so, how you feeling this morning?"

Lilly looked at him suspiciously, "fine." She paused, "you okay Nick?"

"Couldn't be better!" He told her, the grin he now wore on his face reminded her of something Scotty had mentioned the night they got back from the house warming party.

"Looks like you had a good weekend." Lilly commented.

At that moment Scotty walked in with Kat, the two of them were arguing about something. "Hey Lil. Nicky." Scotty greeted the two of them before draping his jacket over the back of his chair and then heading into the break room to get some coffee.

"Lil, before I forget," Kat began and almost elbowing Nick out of the way, "There was a good deal on crackers at the grocery store near me, so I got some for you."

"Err.. thanks Kat. That's really nice of you." Lilly told her.

"They're supposed to help with the...you know..." Nick added earning him another jab in the ribs by Kat.

"What?" Lilly asked, her paranoia kicking in.

Kat decided then to confess, "I heard you in the bathroom on Saturday..."

Lilly went quiet, blushing slightly, "oh!" she said almost whispering.

"If there's anything you need, just ask."

"Thanks Kat. I appreciate that, but I'm fine, really. I was just felt a little sick but I'm a lot better now." She assured her, and then took another sip of her triple Americano.

"You sure it's a good idea for you to be drinking that?" Nick asked, a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine now Nick, really. I'm not feeling sick anymore. My stomach's a lot better."

"Hmmm even so Lil, it ain't a good idea for you to be having caffeine in your condition." Kat chimed in.

Lilly waved them off, "look I appreciate the concern but I have a lot of paperwork to do today so..."

"Okay, okay. I'm going." Kat said, smiling and then walked off.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Nick leaned into her and whispered conspiratorially, "does Scotty know?"

Lilly put her coffee down and gave Nick an annoyed look. "Did Scotty put you up to this? I should have known! He's so damn overprotective at times! Well you can tell him that I don't need babysitting! I'm fine! No, you know what? I'm going to tell him myself!" Lilly then got up and stormed into the breakroom in search of her partner.

Nick watched her storm off and smiled to himself. "Looks like Daddy's in trouble!"

...

"You told them didn't you?" Lilly asked Scotty, the irritation evident in her voice.

"Told who what Lil?" Scotty asked, genuinely confused.

"Kat and Nick. You told them I had a stomach bug. That's why they're bringing me crackers and trying to take away my coffee!" Scotty grinned at that last statement. "This isn't funny Scotty. I don't need to be treated like an invalid so stop telling people that I do!"

"Okay, hold on a minute Lil, firstly, I didn't tell anyone and secondly," he stepped closer to her and cupped her face with his hands, "have I ever told you how hot you look when you're angry?" He placed a tender kiss to her forehead.

"Scotty!" Lilly tried to stay angry with him but found herself blushing at his tender gesture. "This isn't over Valens!" Lilly said but her Ice Queen mask was slipping. His kiss had left her wanting more and the loving look he was giving her made her want to jump him right there. Lilly quickly turned around and headed for the toilets, she had to splash some cold water on her face.

...

Nick and Kat listened to the muffled arguing coming from the breakroom. "What do you suppose is going on there?" Kat asked.

Nick smiled, "lover's quarrel!"

Kat's eyes widened, "what are you talking about? They aren't together!"

Nick just grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"They are? Lil and Scot..."she stopped in mid sentence, trying to wrap the idea around her head. "Since when? Wait, how do you know?"

"Put two and two together."

"So you don't really know?" she challenged.

He leaned forward, "prove me wrong!" he dared.

Kat smiled, and then shook his hand, "you're on!"

...

Scotty walked out of the breakroom and sat at his desk. He noticed Nick and Kat huddled closely. Nick was saying something that made her smile and she had taken his hand. _They are so busted! _He thought to himself, grinning that mischievous grin of his. Little did he know, his and Lilly's secret was out too.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time. It makes me happy that you guys are enjoying this story. :- )

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case**

Lilly was in the women's toilets at PPD splashing cold water on her face after getting mildly turned on by Scotty's kiss. Sure, it was an innocent gesture, but the way she had been feeling around him lately it could have turned into a whole lot more than just kissing! She looked up into the mirror and saw that her cheeks were still red despite her efforts. Lilly just didn't know how he did that to her.

She was drying her hands when she heard the door open and in walked Kat, an interrogative look on her face. "Hey Kat." Lilly greeted and was just about to walk out when Kat asked:

"You okay Lil?"

Lilly smiled, her face still flushed. "Yeah, I'm fine, please will you stop worrying."

Kat smiled sympathetically, "if it makes you feel better, I had it pretty bad too but it'll be over before you know it. Trust me."

"You know what the worst part is? How people start to treat you like you can't do anything for yourself!"

Kat nodded knowingly, "tell me about it! Men are the worst!"

Lilly rolled her eyes in agreement, "oh don't get me started!"

They both then, Kat had an idea. "Hey how about you, me, Nick and Scotty go out for dinner tonight? There this great place that's opened up in town that I've been wanting to check out."

Lilly thought for a minute, "tonight?"

"Yeah," Kat confirmed, "that's if you don't already have plans? You know, hot date or something?"

"No," Lilly said, almost too quickly, "no plans. Sure I'm in."

Kat smiled. Her plan was starting to take form. "Oh, could you also ask Scotty? He's a little tetchy with me today after our little disagreement this morning."

"Errr, okay. I'll ask him." Lilly paused, her curiosity getting the better of her, "what were you two arguing about anyway?"

"I bet him that he didn't have the nerve to ask Melissa Johnson out on a date."

Lilly felt her heart speed up just a little bit. "A..and what did he say?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Gave me some crap about her not being his type. I mean come on, since when has a pretty brunette not been his type? I've seen her checking him out and I know he's noticed."

"Really?" Lilly could feel a tinge of jealousy begin to seep through.

"Yeah, you ask me, I think he's seeing someone on the sly."

Lilly began to feel her heart rate increase a bit more but maintained her calm demeanour. "You think so?"

"Whoever she is, she must be some amazing woman to make him turn down Melissa, I mean, half the guys around here want to go out with her."

Lilly felt her lips begin to curl up into a small, satisfied smile, which she fought to suppress lest it make Kat suspicious. "I should be getting back." Lilly told her and then turned around and opened the door.

...

Lilly walked out of the toilets and back into the bullpen, she wore a perplexed expression on her face as she tried her best to decipher the reason behind Kat's invitation. Lilly hardly ever spent time with her colleagues outside work except for First Thursdays, so why would Kat be asking her _and Scotty _now. She suddenly realised that it could be that she was going to announce that her and Nick were a couple. That was why he was coming too – they wanted to tell them together! It made sense to her now and she couldn't wait to tell Scotty. By the time she reached her desk she was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that everyone had gathered round outside Stilman's office while he briefed them on a new case that had come in. Slowly and as quietly as possible, she made her way to join them. Apparently, a local couple had found the remains of a three-year-old girl while out on a fishing trip with their kids. It turns out that this was the same little girl that went missing a year before but the case went cold very quickly as there were no real leads. After Stilman had finished talking, the rest of the squad went back to their desks to look over the file. Lilly quickly walked over to Scotty and whispered to him. "You were right about Kat and Nick. She just asked us to join her and Nick for dinner tonight. I think they're going to announce that they're together!"

"Hmmm. I knew it! So, are we going straight after work or later on?"

"She said to meet at seven." Lilly paused, "Why are you looking at me like that at?"

"Just wondering what you'll be wearin'." Scotty whispered, mentally undressing her.

"Scotty!" Lilly quietly chastised him.

"Sorry, I'll try to keep it professional, Detective Rush." He teased then winked at her.

"Thank you Detective Valens." Lilly replied in the same teasing tone.

"Besides, we don't wanna make it obvious, like those two." Scotty said, referring to Miller and Vera.

"That's another thing, when they tell us, try to act surprised." Lilly warned him.

"No problem, I'm good at hiding my feelings." Lilly did her best to stifle a laugh.

"I'm serious Scotty!" She said and then walked back to her desk.

"What?" Scotty asked her retreating form but got no answer.

…..

They had been working hard all day on the new case and time passed by so quickly that before they knew it, it was already six thirty. Lilly glanced over to her partner's desk to see Scotty staring intently at a piece of paper, his head in his hands. A minute later, he let out a frustrated sigh and then got up and walked towards the break room. Lilly's attention then turned to Kat who was talking to someone on the phone. She didn't know who the caller was but they seemed to be making her frustrated. "Mr Caldwell, will you please calm down! I told you before we are doing the very best we can, but….no..that's not a very helpful suggestion!" and then she put the phone down and looked in Lilly's direction when she noticed her looking her way.

Lilly smiled, "who was that?"

"Jason Caldwell- kid's father." Kat replied, referring to the little girl that had been found.

"Sounded angry."

"He blames us for not doing enough the first time around. He just wants to put everything behind him; you'd think he'd be happy we're looking into his daughter's case again?"

"I guess it must be bringing up some memories he'd rather forget. Losing a child….must be the hardest thing in the world." Lilly's voice had grown quiet and she rubbed her forehead as the beginning of a headache started to take hold. She reached into her desk drawer and took out some painkillers.

Kat's face wore a look of concern as she walked over to Lilly. "You okay Lil?"

Lilly smiled, "yeah, I'm fine. This case…it's so frustrating."

Kat put a hand on Lilly's shoulder, "Why don't you go take a break?"

Lilly rubbed her eyes then sighed, "Sounds like a good idea." She stood up and began to walk out of the bullpen, and then stopped and asked "what time do you think Nick'll be back?"

"He called a while ago, said he and Will are on their way back from talking to the couple who found her."

Lilly nodded "I'm going to get some air." She then left the bullpen and headed for the elevators.

...

Lilly exited the doors to the building and breathed deeply, the cool evening air filling her lungs and helping to bring calm to her trouble mind. She sat down on a bench just outside. Her head began to pound slightly, and she closed her eyes in response and when she re-opened them, they began to fill with the smallest tears, which Lilly put down to the cold winter air. She sat there for a while, thinking about her life and how different things had been since she had let Scotty into it. He had become such a comforting and stabilising force in the short space of time that they had been together. She began to wonder why they didn't get together sooner.

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of Scotty's voice. "There you are Lil! We've been looking for you. Nick called, said he's going to meet us at the restaurant."

Lilly had been so caught up in thought that she hadn't realised how long she'd been sitting out there, or how cold it had become. "Geez Lil, you must be freezing!" He said as he wrapped her coat around her shivering body. He only just barely fought the urge to take her hands in his and warm them with his breath.

"You guys wait here till I bring the car around." Kat told them and then walked off towards the parking lot.

As soon as she was out of sight Scotty looked over to Lilly and said, "You okay Lil? You look kinda tired."

Lilly smiled, taking his hand and gave him a look that communicated all the tender feelings she had for him. "I'm fine Scotty."

"I'm kinda glad you didn't get a chance to change. It's hard enough trying to keep my hands off you as it is!" he said, grinning.

Lilly giggled, and then eyed him up and down. "Right back at ya Valens!" Scotty wiggled his eyebrows. "This should be an interesting evening!"

They let go of each other's hand as they heard Kat's car coming around the corner. "Ready?" Lilly asked.

"Ready." Scotty replied and with that the two of them got into the car and headed off to the restaurant.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter but I was ill last week. But I hope you enjoy this chapter. It does get a bit angsty but please trust me. As always, your reviews are very much appreciated.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case.**

They arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes later. When they walked inside, they were immediately greeted by the hum of pleasant conversation and soft music playing in the background. Nick hadn't arrived yet, so the three of them were seated at a booth waiting for him. "This is a nice place." Lilly commented.

"Yeah," Kat agreed, "it's a nice family restaurant, and they have an indoor ice rink at the back. I was thinking of bringing Veronica over here for her birthday but I wanted to check the place out first."

"I didn't know you knew how to ice skate!" Scotty said.

Kat smiled, "Learned when I was a teenager. Haven't had the chance to go ice skating lately though, but I want to teach Veronica."

"I would love to learn too!" Lilly added, "It always looked like a lot of fun!"

Scotty smiled, "well maybe I'll teach ya."

Lilly and Kat both looked at him in surprise and Scotty gave them his signature grin. Just then, the waiter came over to take their drink orders. Scotty and Kat both ordered their drinks. The waiter then turned to Lilly, whose head was still throbbing slightly. She decided that it would be best not to have anything that would aggravate it. "Just an orange juice for me thanks." Kat gave a subtle nod of approval.

"We better order for Vera too." Scotty told them and then proceeded to do so. The waiter then walked off towards the bar. "Where is Nick anyway?"

Kat checked her cell phone to see if he had texted her, but there were no messages. She sighed, "I don't know but he better get his ass here soon!"

Lilly and Scotty exchange a knowing look. "So," Lilly began, "how is Veronica?"

Kat smiled a very maternal smile. "She's doing really well at school. She got an A for math the other day. She really deserved it. She's been studying really hard. She's doing some after school activities too and she's becoming pretty popular."

"That's great Kat, you must be really proud!"

"Don't get me wrong, she's no little angel. I mean she can throw a temper tantrum with the best of them..."

"Wonder where she get's that from?" Scotty joked and Kat gave him a look that told him she was not amused, which made Lilly laugh.

"But," Kat continued, "I really am proud of the way she's turning out to be. I wouldn't trade motherhood for anything in the world!"

"Veronica's lucky to have a mother like you." Lilly said, thinking about how her mother had treated her and her sister when they were young.

Kat smiled, "it hasn't all been a bed of roses though, you know. Especially when she was born. I remember the first time she got sick, I was going out of my mind trying to calm her down. Luckily, the nurse at the hospital was very nice. Told me what I should do and that a lot of new mothers panic too."

"Mike was like that too when Emilio was born. Think he was worse than Ally!" They all laughed at this.

Just then, Kat spotted something in the corner of her eye. She turned to look and saw that Nick was standing by the bar and calling her over. "Excuse me for a second," she told her two colleagues and then got up and walked over to him.

"Hey there's Nick." Lilly said. "Wonder what that's about?" She asked, referring to the way Kat had left to join Nick at the bar.

"I don't know, but she looks a little annoyed with him."

"I think he's in trouble." Lilly guessed, as she leaned across Scotty to get a better look at the apparent argument between Kat and Nick.

Scotty caught a whiff of her perfume and suddenly wasn't thinking about his other colleagues anymore. "Mmm you smell good Rush. But if you lean across any further, you an' me are gonna have to walk outta here and...have a little one to one of our own!"

Lilly sat back into her seat and gave him a chastising look. "God Scotty," she whispered, "can you please control yourself just for tonight!"

Scotty grinned, he knew she felt the same way, "I'll try, but you're not makin' this easy for me."

Lilly pretended to read the menu while trying to hide the smile that was forming on her lips as Scotty put his hand on her thigh under the table. Just then, the waiter brought the drinks over and Lilly was glad that she would remain sober this evening.

...

Kat walked over to Nick Vera who was leaning against the bar with a broad grin on his face. "What took you so long?" She demanded.

"You had any luck disproving my theory yet?"

"No."

"I knew it!" he gloated.

"But I haven't proved it either." She countered.

"Then who do you think is the father of Lilly's baby?"

Kat sighed, "I don't know, but I still find it hard to believe that it's Valens!"

"Oh really?"

"They're just so different from each other. I mean, Lilly needs some stability in her life and do you really think he's the kind to settle down?"

"They look pretty cosy together though, don't they?"

"Lilly's more serious, Scotty likes to joke around." She continued, completely ignoring his comment.

"Well I think I may know how to shake things up a little."

Kat raised her eyebrows, "oh yeah, how?"

He grinned, "you'll see!" he said and then began to walk towards the booth when Kat raised her hand up to his chest and stopped him.

"You are not going to do anything stupid!" she ordered.

"Would I do that?"

She stood in front of him and blocked his path, "I meant it Nick. I just want to have a nice evening!"

"Relax Miller! Trust me, this is going to me a memorable night!" He then swerved around her and walked towards his colleagues.

Kat rolled her eyes, "that's what I'm afraid of!"

...

"Hey guys!" Nick greeted as he took his seat in the booth beside Kat.

Scotty and Lilly both returned his greeting. "Everything okay with you two?" Scotty just couldn't help asking. Lilly gave him a little kick under the table.

"Yeah," Kat replied before Nick had a chance to answer.

Lilly cleared her throat, "Kat was just telling us how Veronica got an A in Math."

"Really?" Nick asked, "That's great Kat! Best I ever got was a C plus. Math was never really one of my strong subjects. I was more into sports!"

Kat rolled her eyes, "Why am I not surprised!"

"Hey, you should have seen me on the ice! I used to get all the girls with my athletic physique! " Now it was Lilly's turn to roll her eyes.

"_Used to_ being the operative words!" Kat remarked, teasingly.

"Hey, I'll have you know I've still got it!"

"Hate to break it to you, but your athletic physique left you long ago!"

"What about you Valens?" Nick asked.

"What about me?" Scotty asked,

"Bet you had all the ladies following around in high school."

Scotty blushed, "don't know 'bout that."

"Come on, a guy like you? Bet you could have got any girl you wanted!"

Scotty took a sip of his Scotch, "Back then, there was only one girl for me." He said referring to Elisa.

"And now?" Nick asked and both Lilly and Scotty froze for a second.

"Err now?"

"There a lady in your life right now?"

Scotty felt trapped. He quickly chanced a glance in Lilly's direction and noticed that, for a brief moment she had the same panicked expression on her face that he assumed must have been on his.

"What's with the interrogation Nick?" Scotty laughed, "You sound like my ma!"

Luckily for them, the waiter came back to take their dinner orders.

Forty-five minutes later, they were enjoying their meal and much to Scotty's relief all talk of his love life had been forgotten. He found himself stealing glances at Lilly when he thought Kat and Nick weren't looking and he caught her doing the same thing. He listened with joy in his heart each time Lilly laughed at something funny one of them had said. He really liked this side of her and wished he could just hold her in his arms right there – he so badly wanted the world to know that he loved Lilly Rush and she was his girl. However, each time he felt the urge to put his arm around her, he stopped and remembered what Lilly had told him. _I just want to be sure about what we have before we let everyone know. _There was one thing he had grown certain of in the past few weeks and that was he hadn't felt this way about anyone in a long time, but once again he wondered how Lilly felt. She hadn't really mentioned anything about whether she was ready to tell everyone yet.

The sound of the conversation at the table began to fade into the background as he became lost in his thoughts. He found himself in divided opinion as to whether Lilly would ever really want to spend the rest of her life with him, as he was ready to do with her. He knew she was guarded and he enjoyed breaking through her defences a bit at a time and even though he hoped with all his heart that she would one day be his wife, a part of him said that this might very likely not happen. He was jolted out of his pensive mood by the sound of Lilly's voice. He stood and smiled at her as he allowed her to get up and out of the booth and he then watched her walk towards the ladies' room.

…..

Lilly felt usually upbeat as she stood at the sink in the women's bathroom. This evening was turning out to be a lot more fun than she expected. Everyone was so relaxed, having a good time and even her headache had vanished due to the laughter and camaraderie. At that moment, Kat walked in with a smile on her face. "I just had to take a break from that!" she told her. "Nick started telling stories about the time he met a couple of nurses at a bar! I mean does he really think I want to hear about that?" She sighed, "Men huh?"

Lilly laughed. "Come on, you gotta admit, you 're having fun!"

Kat grinned, "yeah." She paused, "Lil, there's something I need to know."

"What?" Lilly asked.

Kat took a deep breath before saying, "are you and Scotty...you know, together?"

Lilly was stunned - she hadn't expected that, although, she thought, she had been stealing glances at him all night, Kat must have noticed. She looked at her and decided that there was no point in denying it any longer. She smiled broadly, and nodded. "Yes."

Kat was taken aback by this revelation. "How long? And why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"We haven't told anyone. We wanted to just see how we really felt about each other first."

"And?" Kat prompted, also smiling, "how _do _you feel?"

"This is just between you and me right?"

Kat nodded, "I won't tell a soul."

Lilly blushed, "I'm crazy about him!" she confessed. "I don't know what it is but whenever he's near me I feel safe, I feel..happy. You know?"

"I think someone's got it bad!" Kat teased her colleague.

Lilly's face turned even redder. "But seriously, you can't tell anyone!"

"I promise."

The two women left the ladies' room and started to walk back to the table. Lilly stopped suddenly by what she saw as she approached. There, beside Scotty, stood a woman who was laughing at something he said and had her arm around his shoulder. At that moment, time seemed to freeze and all Lilly could see was how that woman was flirting with him, that man she was falling for, the one man she thought she could trust, and how he seemed to be flirting back! A flash of raw anger flew threw her and she felt her body begin to tremble but that was quickly replaced but utter sadness and hurt. She felt tears form in her eyes and before she could think, she had turned around and quickly found herself walking towards the exit.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I think I should just warn you that this is a very long chapter, but it really didn't make sense to divide it, so I hope you're nice and comfy :- ) This is also the penultimate chapter of this story. I'm thinking of doing a sequel to this sometime later this year, so please let me know it that's something you'd be interested in. Thanks for everyone who reviewed last time. I know you've had to wait a while but I hope you guys think it was worth it.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case.**

Kat was confused when she saw Lilly turn around and walk towards the doors of the restaurant. She had noticed that tears had begun to form in her eyes, which made Kat glance towards the source of her sadness. That's when she saw Scotty being pawed by another woman, she glanced towards Nick who looked up in time to meet her angry gaze. His face immediately dropped as he glanced behind Kat to see Lilly making a swift exit. Kat knew he must have been behind this and she would have strong words with him in the morning. But at that moment she knew that Lilly was upset and so she followed her out of the restaurant and caught up with her on the sidewalk. "Lil!" she called out and Lilly stopped at the sound of her voice but didn't turn around. "Lil!" she said more quietly as she caught up to her, "come back inside, I bet it's not what it looks like."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Lil come on,"

"I just want to go home now."

Kat looked at her as she slowly turned around, a small tear escaped her eye. "At least let me drive you home then." She offered. Lilly acquiesced and they walked towards Kat's car.

Once she got home, Lilly thanked Kat and invited her inside and the two of them sat on her couch for a little while. "You okay?" Kat asked, not really sure of what to say.

Lilly nodded.

"You were very quiet on the drive over here. You wanna talk about it?"

Just then Lilly's cell phone rang, she picked it up and looked at the caller ID – it was Scotty. She decided to ignore the call and threw it aside on the couch. She really didn't want to speak to him right then.

"Maybe you should hear him out?" Kat suggested, "Come on Lil, give him a chance to explain."

The phone stopped ringing a few seconds afterwards. "Thanks for driving me home Kat."Lilly said, as she rose to her feet, Kat mimicked her movements. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Kat sighed and nodded, knowing that she was not going to convince Lilly to speak to Scotty tonight, so she left Lilly's house and made her way over to her car. She made a mental note to have strong words with both Nick and Scotty when she got into work the next morning.

Later that night Lilly lay awake in bed, cursing herself for just running out the way she had. She knew that she should have just walked back up to the table and found out what that woman was doing there. Scotty had tried to call her several times that evening but she hadn't answered, not knowing what to say and she was too embarrassed to explain her behaviour. She turned on her side and looked at her phone on the nightstand. She would talk to him tomorrow, she thought and then fell asleep.

...

The next morning Lilly arrived at work and sat at her desk as usual, waiting for Scotty to show. All the way there she kept debating with herself about how she would broach the subject. She wondered what kind of mood he would be in today. He had called her a couple of times after she had fallen asleep. As the clock ticked closer to 8am Lilly grew increasingly nervous and when she heard Scotty's voice her heart rate increased. Before he could enter the bullpen Lilly ran into the breakroom to grab herself a cup of coffee.

Scotty walked into the bullpen with Nick, the two of them were arguing over the events of the previous evening. Scotty was angry and hurt and this was only increased when he saw Lilly darting into the breakroom before he entered. Scotty then walked over to his desk in silence and put his coat over the back of his chair. He then took a deep breath before he followed Lilly into the breakroom. As he reached the door frame he noticed that Lilly had her back to him. He cautiously walked over to her. Lilly could smell the scent of his cologne and turned around to face him.

"Lil,"

"Scotty," They each said the other's name at the same time. Scotty smiled a little, and Lilly let him speak first. "About last night." He could see her blue eyes start to well up and knew she was doing her best not to shed any tears. He continued, his voice soft, "It's not what you think. Turns out Nick's cousin is the manager of that restaurant and she just came over to say hi."

Lilly steeled herself and regained her composure. "She had her arm around you Scotty, she was leaning into you."

Scotty ran his hand through his hair, "she asked Nick if I was seeing anyone and.."

"You said no so that you could keep our relationship a secret." Lilly stirred her coffee, "I get it, it's okay." She threw the stirrer in the bin and began to walk to the door. Scotty grabbed her arm, nearly making her spill her hot drink. "Scotty! What the hell?"

He pulled her closer, "I told her I was seeing someone, I didn't tell her who, She said she thought so, that I looked like a man in love and she then put her arm around me to congratulate me. That was all. And then you walked out…and I..I tried to call you but you weren't answering."

Lilly was silent, thinking about what Scotty had said.

"Lil, say something. I never meant for you to get hurt. God, Lil, if I could do that evening over again I would not have agreed to eat at that restaurant!" He held her arms.

Just then, Nick and Kat walked in. Guilt written all over Nick's face. Kat proceeded to get a cup of coffee, looking at Lilly as she walked passed to see if she was okay. Lilly nodded in silent acknowledgement. Kat dragged Nick by the arm however; Nick brushed her off and walked over to his colleagues. "Hey Lil, you okay?"

"Nick!" Kat scolded, but Lily waved her arms at her.

"It's okay Kat. Yeah Nick. I'm okay." She said and Scotty relaxed a Lilly.

"We were all worried about you when you left the restaurant." Nick continued.

"I'm fine, really." Lilly began to head out of the room.

"You should try and relax; you know getting stressed isn't good for your condition."

Lilly stopped dead in her tracks and turned around slowly.

"My condition?"

"You know, with the baby."

"What?" Lilly was shocked and Scotty wore an equally stunned expression.

"Baby?" The words fell out of Scotty's mouth before he could stop them.

Lilly was speechless for a moment as her thoughts raced around her mind.

Nick turned to Scotty, "oh crap! She hasn't told you!" He said, almost whispering. Kat shot Nick a deadly glare.

"Told me what?" Scotty asked cautiously.

"Nothing," he tried to shrug it off, "I was just messing with ya." He began to walk out when Scotty stopped him.

"No, what did you mean? Tell me what?" He also shot a glance at Lilly.

Nick felt like a deer caught in the headlights. "I'm sorry Lil."

Lilly looked at him, confused, "I..I don't know what you're talking about?" She tried to sound calm but was unable to hide the panic in her voice. Did he know about her and Scotty? _Oh crap!_ She thought, that evening in the bathroom she had been talking to herself. Kat must have heard and told Nick. _Oh God!_ "No, I'm not….it's not what you think.." She looked at Kat, realisation suddenly dawning on her. "You knew, didn't you? Before I even told you?" She then looked at Nick "and you. Both of you!"

"Yes." Kat admitted. "But we weren't going to say anything until you were ready to tell us."

Scotty's confusion was growing, "can someone tell me what's going on?" He looked at Lilly. "Lil?"

"They know Scotty." She told him. "About us."

Scotty paused for a minute before saying, "wait, you told Kat? Oh I can't believe it! After you made a big deal about me not to tell anyone?" Scotty began to feel annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Scotty.." Lilly began, but was cut off.

"Yeah don't blame Lil, Scotty; I kinda coaxed her into telling me. Besides, what's the big deal? Don't know why you guys have been so secretive about it I think it's great!"

"Well, you should know something about keeping secrets, what about you and Nick?"

"What about me and Nick?"

"We know." Lilly said.

Nick raised his eyebrow, "know what?" there was a slight paused where she and Nick looked at each other before realisation dawned on the two of them. "no nooo noo no!" he said.

"No, definitely not!" Kat added.

"Come on, there's no point trying to deny it, it's obvious!" Scotty told them.

"No!" Kat asserted, "we are not together!"

Nick continued to shake his head. "And go easy on her Scotty; it's not good for the baby if she gets stressed!"

"What baby?"

"Oh now who's in denial?" Nick retaliated.

"I'm not pregnant!" Lilly insisted, raising her voice.

"What the hell is going on here?"

They all stopped talking and turned around to see John Stilman standing in the doorway, not looking too impressed.

The four detectives suddenly went silent for a few seconds, looking at each other. Nick was the first to speak up. "Nothing boss."

"Then I suggest you all get back to work instead of shouting at each other like a bunch of school children!"

They all hurried back to their desks.

...

Lilly had barely said two words to Scotty after the embarrassing scene in the breakroom that morning. Scotty had been partnered with Nick that day and the two of them had spent all afternoon chasing down a suspect, and questioning him in regards to their latest case. By the time he had finished Lilly had already left and gone home.

...

That evening, Lilly lay on her sofa, absently watching the TV, her cats curled up next to her. It was 8pm by the time she had finally arrived home. She had needed to clear her head and so had taken a walk through town. It was now close to 11.30 and she found herself unable to sleep. All she could think of was how badly things had played out and how exposed she felt after the revelations of that day. Her privacy had been invaded and she felt both angry and vulnerable. And Scotty. She didn't know where things were with him. She had wanted to talk to him about the events in the restaurant alone, to tell him that she over reacted and that she knew he wasn't trying to flirt with Nick's cousin. _I should have waited for him! Damn why am I being so stupid over all this? _But in that instant she realised she already knew the answer. Scotty wasn't just a guy she was dating, Scotty was different, special. _Oh God!_ She sat up in shock and realisation. Was she really in love with him? Just then her phone received a text message. Her heart rate sped up as she saw that it was from Scotty. She opened it and read:

_I know I've hurt you, though I didn't mean it. Meet me at the scene of the crime and I'll prove to you that I'm no criminal. Scotty._

Lilly couldn't help smile at that and wondered what he was up to. She debated as to whether she should go, her fear trying to get the better of her but she soon shook that feeling off and hurried to her bedroom to get changed before heading out to meet him.

...

Lilly arrived at the restaurant at around five to midnight - the 'scene of the crime' as Scotty had put it. She parked her car in the almost vacant lot, noting that the only other car there was Scotty's. He was already here, she thought. Just as she turned off the engine, she received another text.

_Come through the back entrance, then follow the trail. xxx_

At that moment, Lilly began to feel a little nervous. What was going on? She got out of her car and did as she was instructed. Once she found the back door she opened it and stepped inside. Her breath hitched at what she saw. On the floor in front of her was a trail of paper rose petals in a path that was lit by little tealight candles. She smiled and felt her heart rate rise once more. She followed the short path to some double doors. She pushed them opened and entered. She realised then that she was in the ice rink section of the restaurant. She walked further into the room and saw Scotty standing at the entrance to the rink waiting for her. "Scotty, what's going on?"

"Lil," he began. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about yesterday...and this morning." He took her hands in his, then looking into her eyes, he continued. "I want you to know how much you mean to me Lil. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

Lilly felt her eyes begin to water up. "Scotty I know you weren't..."

"No, Lil, please let me finished, cos if I don't I might lose my nerve."

Lilly looked at him quizzically, unaware that his heart was beating just as fast as hers.

"After Elisa died, I...I thought I would never feel that way about anyone again. It felt like my heart had died. But you were there for me Lil, my best friend. I know that I've been an idiot at times, but you somehow always forgave me." He paused, his eyes also now filling with tears. "Do you remember that night we sat in your garden looking at the stars?"

"Yes," Lilly whispered. "You were trying to impress me with your knowledge of the constellations." She smiled.

"But you saw right through me. You knew I was making them up. And then we ended up making up our own constellations based on people we know."

Lilly giggled and Scotty's heart warmed. "We ended up laughing so hard we fell on the ground! Then you kissed me. "

"Seeing your smile that night. That look of complete happiness look on your face. That's what did it. Nick's cousin said I look like a man in love. I am Lil. You gave the life back to my heart and not a day goes by that I'm not thankful that your here, with me. I love you Lil, I always will. Please don't let this one thing ruin what we have."

Lilly was so stunned by his words that she almost fell forwards as she felt her knees grow weaker. She held on tightly to Scotty's hands to steady herself and paused for a minute, trying to process what he had said. She suddenly felt a surge of courage course through her. "You think that I'm going to let something like that break us up?" She smiled and caressed the side of his face with one hand. " I know you weren't doing anything wrong Scotty. I shouldn't have run out like that but..." she tried to find the right words. "You've always just been Scotty Valens, my partner and my friend, and now things...have changed, and I'm still getting used to it. I guess it just caught me off guard." Lilly rolled her eyes, afraid that sounded like she was mumbling and mentally chastised herself for it. "I was afraid Scotty. I didn't want to get hurt, but I know I should've stayed. I'm sorry." She looked into his eyes. "I love you too Scotty. It scares the hell out of me, but I do love you."

Scotty took her in his arms and enveloped her in an emotionally charged embrace. "Oh Lil!" His lips then met hers and they kissed one another tenderly, deeply, neither one of them wanting to let the other go. When they finally did break apart, Scotty retrieved a bag that he had placed on the floor. "I've got something for you." He said as he reached inside and pulled out a pair of ice skates in her size.

Lilly looked at him, confused.

"You did say you wanted to learn?"

"Now?" She asked incredulously.

"It's okay. Nick persuaded his cousin to let us use this for the night. He and Kat feel pretty bad about what happened this morning, wanted to make it up to us. Put these on."

Both he and Lilly changed into their skates and he led Lilly carefully onto the rink. Scotty found that Lilly was a fast learner and although there were numerous occasions where he had to catch her to stop her from falling, about an hour later was doing a lot better. They were having so much fun together. Suddenly Scotty pulled her closer to him as he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a mini remote control. He aimed it at the stereo on the side of the room and within seconds, music began to play. Lilly gasped as she recognised the song - The Very Thought Of You by Nat King Cole. The same song that they had danced to when they shared their first kiss.

"Our song." Scotty lovingly whispered in her ear. "Wanna dance?" He grinned.

"I don't know Scotty.."

"Come on Lil, you can do it." He reassured.

"What if I fall again?" she giggled.

"Don't worry Lil," he said as they began to sway to the music. "I'll always be here to catch you."

Lilly kissed him softly. "I love you Scotty."

"Love you too Lil."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Okay here it is – the final chapter of Undefined. There are some flashbacks in this chapter which I have written in italics. Once again thank, you to everyone who has reviewed/followed and favourited this story, it has really meant a lot to me! Special thanks goes to DPIH, Amanda4Meloni and Princesshikari99 who have left reviews consistently for every chapter. You guys are great! :- )

I hope you all like this chapter; it is very fluffy and warm!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case.**

Lilly woke up to the sound of the alarm clock the following morning. She groaned as she rolled onto her side to switch it off. With her eyes half closed she tried to feel for it but couldn't find the damn thing. She opened her eyes fully and realised that she was on the wrong side of the bed and once she had woken up a little more she realised that she wasn't in her bed at all. Smiling she hoisted herself up into a sitting position and reached across to the other nightstand and switched the alarm off. It only hit her then that although she was in Scotty's apartment, he was nowhere to be seen. Just then, she heard the bathroom door open and Scotty stepped out, dressed only in a towel. Lilly let her eyes settle comfortably on his bare chest, still dripping with water from the shower.

"Good morning." Scotty smiled as he noticed her staring.

"Morning." She replied, her smile matching his. "How long have you been up?"

"Haven't really gone to sleep. Kinda got distracted by this beautiful woman in my bed!"

_He and Lilly had returned to his apartment at around three that morning, leaving them only three hours sleep before they had to get up for work._

_"Have I told you how beautiful you are Lilly Rush?" He asked her, taking her into his arms as they entered his apartment. _

_Lilly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Once or twice." She replied and Scotty growled at the seductive look in her eyes. "I had fun today Scotty. Never knew you were such a good teacher!"_

_Scotty's eyes twinkled, "One of my many talents!" he told her, "wanna see what else I can do?"_

_"Oh," she began in a low husky voice, "I really do…but I'm really tired right now Scotty…"_

_"Say no more Lil." He then scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to his bed where he gently set her down and took off her shoes before wrapping the blanket around her. He tenderly kissed her forehead. "Get some rest." He whispered before he too got into the bed and lay beside her and watched as her eyes drifted closed. He also contemplated getting some sleep but for some reason he found he couldn't take his eyes off her. As if somehow if he closed his eyes and went to sleep, he would wake up, and none of this would be real. So he stayed awake and watched the woman he loved. _

_As watched her lying there, so peaceful, he began to think about how his life had changed since he had met her. He thought about what Kat has said to him earlier that day about how they were such an unlikely couple because they were, in many respects, polar opposites. He smiled to himself as he thought about that. She was right; if someone were to look at them, on the surface, they seemed to be two very different people. She would always think with her head whereas he was dominated by his heart. She managed to keep her feelings hidden so well and he would fly off the handle if provoked. He laughed quietly to himself as he remembered the many times he had played 'bad cop' in the interrogation room when they were interviewing a suspect. Then he would stand back and watch as Lilly played the 'good cop', how she would empathise with them. He would never have admitted to it before, but he was always in awe of how sensitive she could be. Yes, on the surface they did indeed look like two very different people. It was partly the reason he had been reluctant to ask Lilly out in the beginning, he thought that it would never work. He always prefered a very different type of woman, someone he could protect, somone who needed him. Lilly was always so strong, so resilient, and he both admired and respected her for that._

_ He realised that the most surprising thing he'd learned through spending time alone with her though, was how alike they actually were. They both had lost people they cared about, despite doing all they could to try and help them. They both struggled with their own personal demons. They both cared about the job, each doing their best to see that the victims got the justice they deserved - they both had a very strong sense of justice. They had their difference, yes, but these, he found, had only served to balance the each other out. They made a good team, both in the field and in their personal lives too. _

_His thoughts then turned to how that evening they had finally said I love you to each other. And she hadn't run away, as he'd feared. That thought alone made him happier than anything had done in a while. They both loved each other and they were going to be together. Really be together. There might actually be a future for them after all. He mused. _

"You must be exhausted!" Lilly said as Scotty sat down on the bed next to her and began to dry his hair with another towel that he held in his hands.

"Nothin' a strong cup of coffee won't fix." He replied.

Lilly took the towel out of his hands and began to dry his back. "Don't want you catching a cold." She whispered seductively into his ear, causing him to smile.

He relaxed into her caring touch, thinking to himself that he was the luckiest man on the planet. When she was done, he turned around to face her and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her into a hug. He looked at her, his eyes scanning her smiling face; he wanted to burn that image into his mind so it would be there forever.

"What?" she asked.

"Jus' thinkin' I musta done somethin' really good to deserve you!" He told her softly.

Now it was Lilly's turn to look at him pensively. "Scotty," she began.

"Yeah," he almost whispered.

"Do you remember when I took the pregnancy test and I found out I wasn't pregnant?"

Lilly looked down for a second before gazing into his gorgeous dark eyes once more. "I lied to you." Scotty's mouth fell open involuntarily, which made Lilly giggle a little. "Not about not being pregnant!" she giggled some more at the mildly shocked expression which had begun to form on her boyfriend's face. "I lied when I said I thought it was a good thing that I wasn't. Part of me deep down inside knew that I wanted to keep the baby if I was. Then when I found out it was negative, I didn't feel relief Scotty. I felt...sad." That last word came out as a whisper.

"Lil?" He cupped her face with his hands.

"I don't know Scotty. This whole thing, with us, has made me...re-evalutate my life, and I've begun to realise...I want to share it with you. I'm not saying that I want to have a baby right now, I still think it's too soon...but, one day. I would like there to be a baby Rush-Valens in the picture." She stopped talking when she realised Scotty had not said a word. "Are you okay?"

Scotty shook his head as if he had just woken up from a daydream. "Yeah Lil," he said, unable to formulate a coherent sentence at that moment.

Lilly felt a tinge of panic fill her heart. "Am I going too fast for you? Scotty, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said..."

"Shhh," he told her tenderly, "stop talking for a second." He then leaned into her and enveloped her lips with his own as they both fell backwards onto the bed. When they finally broke apart, Scotty still on top of her, he looked into her eyes and said, "I know Christmas isn't for a few weeks yet, but thank you for the early present Lil." He brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "I love you." He then leaned into her and kissed her deeply once more. If someone had told him six months ago that by the end of the year, he and Lilly would be together and talking about their future, he would never have believed it. But here they were. This had definately turned out to be a good year in the end, Scotty thought. Who knows what next year will bring?


End file.
